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3 Veteran UFA Goalies Toronto Maple Leafs Could Sign

By Stephen Nixon

NEW YORK, NEW YORK - APRIL 13: Jaroslav Halak #41 of the New York Rangers makes the first period save on William Nylander #88 of the Toronto Maple Leafs at Madison Square Garden on April 13, 2023 in New York City. (Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images)
NEW YORK, NEW YORK - APRIL 13: Jaroslav Halak #41 of the New York Rangers makes the first period save on William Nylander #88 of the Toronto Maple Leafs at Madison Square Garden on April 13, 2023 in New York City. (Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images) /
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The Toronto Maple Leafs need to sign a veteran back-up goaltender in case of emergency.

It seems very unlikely that the Toronto Maple Leafs will ride with Matt Murray, Joseph Woll and Ilya Samsonov to start the 2023-24 season, which means they need a veteran back-up to secure the third-string position or back-up, depending on how Woll plays.

Speaking of Woll, that’s where the unknown falls right now.

Although he’s looked good when he’s played, including a few fantastic playoff performances, his sample-size is small. We have no idea if he can keep that up during an 82-game season, or at the very least, for 30 NHL games next year.

In an ideal world, Samsonov re-signs for one more season at a small cap-hit and Woll serves as the back-up being groomed to become the starter in 2024-25, but that’s optimistic thinking. The pessimist in me thinks that Woll still needs more time to develop in the AHL before making the full-time jump to the NHL.

As for Murray, there’s a zero percent chance that the Leafs can keep him on the roster this year. He makes way too much money and just isn’t that good anymore. Even when he’s healthy, his stats haven’t been worth the $4.6M he’s making, so Toronto would be better suited rolling with Woll and Samsonov for the price of one Murray.

If that’s what Toronto decides to do, they need a veteran back-up to be their No. 2B/3 in case of emergency or a drop-off by Woll. As shown by the Vegas Golden Knights Stanley Cup victory this year, it’s very important to have three quality goalies on your roster in today’s NHL, so the Toronto Maple Leafs should do the same.

Here are three veteran UFA goalies they could sign.

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