8 Former Toronto Maple Leafs Players Still Without a Job for 2024-25
By Edward Eng
Martin Jones
In the case for Martin Jones, the Leafs signed the veteran goaltender the previous offseason to serve an insurance depth for the club.
It turned out that the Leafs ended up having to use that insurance when Joseph Woll went down to a long-term injury while Samsonov failed to find his game during the first half of the 2023-24 season.
In a season that could have been easily written off for the Maple Leafs, Jones managed to keep them afloat by helping them overcome the adversity that they faced. He started off strong, but eventually tailed off as the season grew older. In 22 games overall, he went 11-8-1 with two shutouts, along with a 2.87 GAA and .902 save percentage.
With the Leafs inking Matt Murray on a one-year deal to serve as their insurance goalie heading into the 2024-25 season, that meant Jones needed to find a new home for next year. Given that he has proven to still be a reliable backup option in the league this past season, Jones should not have too much trouble in finding a team interested in his services.
John Klingberg
For one of the Maple Leafs’ biggest free agent signings from the last offseason, John Klingberg ultimately turned into a complete bust in the end.
With the Leafs hoping for some added offensive boost to both their blueline and overall power play, Klingberg failed miserably to deliver in that regard. He ended up registering just five assists in 14 games played before prematurely ending his season (and tenure) with the Leafs due to a hip injury that required surgery.
Klingberg had shown in the past that he could be a Norris Trophy-calibre defenseman, scoring 10+ goals on four separate occasions along with registering 40+ points another six times in his 10-year NHL career.
But given that we have witnessed some steady regression in his game the past couple of seasons, along with the uncertainty on how well he will recover from his hip surgery, it may present a challenge for him to find a potential suitor for the upcoming year.