Toronto Maple Leafs: 3 Best Trade Options to Find a New Goalie
By Luke Ryan
Joonas Korpisalo (Columbus Blue Jackets)
On a one-year deal paying just $1.3 million, Korpisalo is probably the most likely of the outside bets.
His first game for the Columbus Blue Jackets this season saw the Colorado Avalanche put five past him in his native Finland, but that’s not to say he couldn’t rebound with a change of scenery.
The primary concern with Korpisalo is that his first season in the NHL has proven to be a bit of an outlier. In the years since, he hasn’t ever gotten near his 0.920 save percentage from that 2015-16 season.
Of course, this might make an approach for him slightly cheaper, but it’s a bit of an ‘approach with caution’ situation, somewhat akin to acquiring David Rittich a couple of years back.
Certainly, it won’t be the first time that Joonas Korpisalo’s name pops up in the same sentence as the Toronto Maple Leafs with a low cap hit, maybe he is worth betting on.
The big appeal is his size and lateral movement, again not the sort of goalie to unnecessarily scramble for the puck, which would be a good fit for the Toronto Maple Leafs.
Trade cost probably comes into the equation too, as he has just recovered from hip surgery and might very well still be regarded as an option moving forward in Columbus.
Elvis Merzlikins definitely has a spot in the tandem locked down, but Daniil Tarasov might be someone they want to give a longer look, especially as they don’t appear likely to be that competitive this season.
A lot of the decision-making here comes down to the asking price. If the Blue Jackets are keen to do business at a price that represents value, when you consider he could be lost for free on waivers, absolutely the Leafs should pull the trigger.