The Toronto Maple Leafs signed Martin Jones to a one-year deal on Wednesday, but that won’t affect Joseph Woll.
After signing Ilya Samsonov and moving Matt Murray to LTIR this offseason, Joseph Woll landed the job of back-up goaltender for the Toronto Maple Leafs this season.
Some might think, however, after signing Jones, that Woll would be destined for the Toronto Marlies.
Although there is some merit to thinking Jones would help more than Woll because he would benefit tremendously to playing every night and being an AHL All-Star caliber goaltender, he is no longer protected from going on waivers and the Leafs won’t risk losing him.
Martin Jones Signing Is Smart Move By Toronto Maple Leafs
Throughout the offseason, I’ve written countless articles about the Leafs acquiring a veteran goaltender but Jones was rarely on the list. It wasn’t because on his talent, but it was based on his salary, as it felt like he’d be worth much more than what Toronto paid for him.
The Leafs only gave Jones a one-year deal worth $875K, which is only $100K more than what Woll is making. Based on his reputation and previous contract, I thought Jones would be looking for something around $2M, at a minimum, so I never looked at him as available, but he’s a great fit in Toronto, and here’s why:
If you look strictly at statistics over the past few years, you won’t find a top-10 NHL goalie, but you’d find a netminder that wins. With a 225-163-35 record, Jones is a proven winning goaltender and was even part of the LA Kings Stanley Cup run in 2014.
I know he didn’t play during that playoff-run, but it’s always good to add another player who’s seen what it takes to win a championship. Not only was he part of the Kings’ Stanley Cup, but he was also named to the NHL All-Star Game in 2017, so he’s also shown that he can play at a high-level.
The reason why Jones fits Toronto so well is because he’s played at least 34 games over the past eight seasons and has shown that he can be a reliable back-up, so if one or both of their goalies goes down, they’ve got a ready made replacement.
The Leafs offense is so good that they don’t necessarily need a top-five goaltender to win games but instead just need a veteran to hold down the fort and that’s exactly what Jones will do.
We all know that Samsonov will play the majority of the games and eventually be the playoff starter, but if he needs a rest or is going through a slump/injury, Jones can step in without anyone losing any sleep.
Jones will probably finish the season with the Marlies, but he’s a decent enough option for the Toronto Maple Leafs if needed.
Kudos to Treliving on this signing, which is something we haven’t been able to say much this offseason.