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Toronto Maple Leafs Have Some of NHL’s Best Goalie Depth

By Mitchell Hartman

May 4, 2023; Toronto, Ontario, CANADA; A shot by Florida Panthers defenseman Gustav Forsling (not pictured) scores on Toronto Maple Leafs goaltender Ilya Samsonov (35) during the second period of game two of the second round of the 2023 Stanley Cup Playoffs at Scotiabank Arena. Mandatory Credit: John E. Sokolowski-USA TODAY Sports
May 4, 2023; Toronto, Ontario, CANADA; A shot by Florida Panthers defenseman Gustav Forsling (not pictured) scores on Toronto Maple Leafs goaltender Ilya Samsonov (35) during the second period of game two of the second round of the 2023 Stanley Cup Playoffs at Scotiabank Arena. Mandatory Credit: John E. Sokolowski-USA TODAY Sports /
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Early last week, the Toronto Maple Leafs re-signed goaltender Ilya Samsonov to a 1-year contract.

At least for me personally, I had no real doubts that the Toronto Maple Leafs would be able to keep him, but now that he’s got a deal, I believe their goaltending situation is one of the best in the NHL.

The depth in between the pipes for the Toronto Maple Leafs is one of the best it has been in some time.

While they don’t possess a Juuse Saros or Connor Hellebuyck-level of netminder, the Vegas Golden Knights, and Colorado Avalanche both proved a true all-star netminder is not needed to win a Stanley Cup.

The Toronto Maple Leafs Have Some of the NHL’s Best Goalie Depth

The Leafs currently have 3 solid NHL netminders who are all still young enough and still possess upside. All 3 of them showed an ability to steal games at times during the season and are all strong options between the pipes.

Starting with the previously mentioned Ilya Samsonov, who put up his best NHL season to date last year, finishing top-10 in the NHL in both GAA and SV% (nhl.com). He was given the most starts of any Leaf goalie last season as well, becoming their unofficial “starter.”

Samsonov was very strong for the Leafs in 2022-23 and while not perfect, he stole numerous games for the team. I believe he’ll be very strong again for Toronto next season.

Next up is Matt Murray, who put up a decent but inconsistent season last year. Murray went 14-8-2 with a .903 SV%, not great, but still good for a guy who played through a ton of injuries. There is a good chance Murray isn’t even on the team next year, and that he spends the season on the LTIR, but if he does play, he’ll be a solid backup for the Leafs.

Last but most certainly not least is rookie Joseph Woll, who so far has gone 9-2-0 in his NHL career, posting a very strong .924 SV% and 2.38 GAA (stats: nhl.com).

He even played in the playoffs last season when Samsonov was injured, and played really well considering he was a rookie, arguably stealing game 4 in the series vs the Florida Panthers.

If you ask me, Woll may be the Leafs best goalie. In every game I’ve seen him play at the NHL level, he has been solid, focused, and has yet to have a bad game.

Whoever Sheldon Keefe decides to give the most starts next season, I believe the Leafs are in good hands. All of Samsonov, Murray, and Woll are strong goalies, and they give the Leafs some of the best goaltending depth in the NHL.

Next. 3 x Potential Star Players the Leafs Can Still Sign. dark

We’ve seen how inconsistent goalies can be in the NHL, and having too many goalies is almost never an issue.

Let’s see if any of these 3 can lead the Leafs to Lord Stanley.

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