The Toronto Maple Leafs have often had to look elsewhere to find a goaltender. Their history of drafting and developing someone to look after their net is uninspiring.
James Reimer was the last starting goaltender that was drafted and developed by the team. Reimer was solid, but not a star. Ex-general manager Lou Lamoriello quickly traded Reimer to the San Jose Sharks and eventually filled his spot in goal with the acquisition of Frederik Andersen.
During the late 1990s and early 2000s, Curtis Joseph and Ed Belfour worked their magic to carry the Leafs on long playoff runs. Both of them were signed as free agents. Before that, the last upper-echelon goalie drafted and developed by the team was Felix “The Cat” Potvin.
After Reimer, the Leafs unsuccessfully tried to fill the starting role with names like Andrew Raycroft, Vesa Toskala, Jonas Gustafsson, and J-S Giguere. They also kept the wrong goalie from two highly-drafted prospects (Justin Pogge over Tuukka Rask).
Is Joseph Woll the Toronto Maple Leafs Next Homegrown Star Goalie?
With his solid play at the end of last year’s regular season, along with his steady playoff performance, Joseph Woll has a chance to be the next Toronto Maple Leafs homegrown goaltender.
Since being drafted by the Leafs in 2016, Woll has shown a steady year-to-year linear progression in many of his key stats. After some seasoning with the Leafs’ AHL affiliate Toronto Marlies, he received his first sustained playing time with the big club last year.
He took off and ran with it.
His play was especially impressive in games 6 and 7 against the Florida Panthers during the second round of the Stanley Cup playoffs. While facing elimination in a high-pressure situation, he delivered in both games and gave his team a chance to win.
Just as important, he seems to have the temperament to handle the scrutiny of playing goal in Toronto.
With the Leafs recent placement of Matt Murray to LTIR, Woll has the opportunity to further establish himself.
Next year, the team will be counting on him to appear in more than a handful of games. Thirty games played is not unrealistic.
Should starting goalie Ilya Samsonov have another solid season, he may be out of the Leafs’ price range come free agency next summer. If extensions get completed for Auston Matthews and William Nylander, there is a real possibility that the Leafs let Samsonov walk.
The Leafs do not want to commit to a long-term deal with a $6-7 million AAV for Samsonov. It only takes one desperate team to offer an exorbitant contract to disrupt the best-laid plans. In free agency, it’s a common occurrence.
The Leafs were not comfortable matching the goaltending-desperate Edmonton Oilers offer to Jack Campbell in July of 2022. It could happen again with Samsonov.
There is one caveat with this scenario. Samsonov, should he not be extended beforehand, will be younger than either Campbell or Andersen were when they hit the open market.
Should Samsonov have a strong first half this coming season, the Leafs could decide to try and get ahead of things and offer an extension. They are eligible to do so come January 2024.
That would be a good problem to have. It would mean Samsonov has stacked together a season and a half of excellent play and Woll is there as insurance. Two young goalies the team could depend on.
Yet, it’s not far-fetched to imagine the scenario of Samsonov choosing not to ink an in-season extension, hitting free agency, and being overwhelmed with a contract that the Leafs won’t want to match.
An important consideration in all of this? Woll has two more years remaining on a contract that pays less than $1 million annually.
A strong 2023/2024 season for Woll and the Leafs could have a starting goaltender who makes minimal money. This is a great luxury to have in a salary-cap world.
The Leafs could then sign a capable backup to supplement Woll. The extra salary cap space could be used to help other areas on the roster.
Of course, all of this would be a best-case scenario for the Toronto Maple Leafs. But, one doesn’t have to squint too hard to see the Leafs’ next possible homegrown starting goalie.
His name is Joseph Woll.