No. 2: Brian Elliot
I’ve continued to talk about this player throughout multiple articles, but his name needs to be written about again.
By the way I’ve been written about how much the Leafs need to sign Elliot, you’d think he was a future Hall-of-Famer, but realistically, Elliot needs to fill a void. Samsonov and Woll don’t have enough experience to fill all 82 games next year, so Elliot needs to be someone who can play between 15-20 games and steer the ship.
Even if the Toronto Maple Leafs thought Samsonov and Woll could tag-team the entire season, one of them will most likely miss some time due to the injury, so Toronto should be cashing into their insurance policy now.
Elliot’s stats weren’t great last year (.891 SV % and 3.40 GAA), but he’s cheap and reliable. At 38-years-old, having him around instead of calling up a young Toronto Marlies is just better for the team because he can help in other ways besides playing.
Having a veteran around for two young goalies can help tremendously, so although Elliot isn’t going to be a future Hall-of-Famer, his longevity and experience can be vital to Woll and Samsonov.