Goalie Trades the Toronto Maple Leafs Should Consider
The Toronto Maple Leafs have had a wild ride in the crease this season!
Joseph Woll stole the Toronto Maple Leafs crease after a hot start, but then went down with injury.
Last season's starter, Ilya Samsonov has been sent to the minors after showcasing some of the worst stat lines in the NHL this season. Expected third-stringer, Martin Jones, has since seized the net becoming the star of the Leafs California road trip.
The Leafs have been riding Martin Jones while unproven prospect, Dennis Hildeby, had been warming the bench awaiting his opportunity to arise, but with Jones playing back-to-backs last week, the Hildebeast's opportunity may only come if Jones goes down with an injury.
Where will the Leafs be then? If Jones goes down, the team would have to rely on an AHL goaltender or return to the apparently shellshocked Ilya Samsonov. Is it wise for the Toronto Maple Leafs to be putting so much weight on the back of veteran goaltender, Martin Jones?
The Toronto Maple Leafs Should Acquire Another Goalie
The Leafs have recently re-called Samsonov from the Marlies, but it sounds like the move is more for Hildeby's future than it is for Samsonov's, though there is a good chance he starts tonight.
Hildeby needs to get into games and continue developing with the Marlies, but it he could still get the start over Samsonov if Jones goes down.
Hildeby has been great in the AHL so far this year, but if the Toronto Maple Leafs are worried about rushing their young goaltender, there are other cheap options out their that can fill their hole in net until Joseph Woll returns.
Here are 5 goaltenders the Toronto Maple Leafs should consider:
#5 Aaron Dell - Gets Another Shot with the Toronto Maple Leafs
Aaron Dell's last tenure wil the Toronto Maple Leafs was short-lived.
Dell was signed by the Leafs in October 2020 and was assigned to their taxi-squad as part of the NHL's Covid protocols.
He never suited-up for a game with the Leafs though and was claimed off waivers by the New Jersey Devils in January 2021.
Dell may be the best goaltender not signed to an NHL deal right now. He was just released from a PTO with the Carolina Hurricane and was also released from a PTO with the Columbus Blue Jackets after training camp this year.
It seems like NHL teams want him for a third-stringer, but they fear losing him to waivers.
After leaving Carolina, Dell signed an AHL deal with the Ontario Reign, affiliate to the Los Angeles Kings. Dell is free to sign with any NHL team though.
The Toronto Maple Leafs should be able to sign him for a league minimum deal and he would be a perfect fit to split back-to-backs with Martin Jones until Woll is ready to return.
If they lose him to waivers when Woll returns, no sweat. If he clears waivers, they have a solid new third-stringer in case of emergency.
#4 Magnus Hellberg - A Career #3 for the Toronto Maple Leafs
Another career #3 goalie is Magnus Hellberg. He's one of those goalies that seems to bounce around the league whenever he's put of waivers after covering for injuries.
He's never been considered talented enough to be an NHL back-up, but it seems like every team wants him as their third goalie. He played for three teams last season: the Ottawa Senators, Seattle Kraken and Detroit Red Wings.
He signed with the Pittsburgh Penguins this off-season and managed to clear waivers is October. He is a pending UFA this summer and Pittsburgh is sitting outside of the playoff picture as I'm writing this.
Magnus Hellberg could be had for next to nothing. Perhaps Kyle Dubas would like to reunite with a Marlies player like Kyle Clifford in exchange for Hellberg.
#3 Anthony Stolarz - Solid Reliever for the Toronto Maple Leafs
Anthony Stolarz has proven over the past few seasons that he can be a reliable back-up in the NHL, and he'd be an amazing number 3.
He's on a savvy $1.1 million deal which could easily be buried if thing went way sour. He's also a pending UFA. The Florida Panthers are looking like cup contenders and though they may not want to part with Stolarz, they may need to.
Stolarz is currently backing-up Sergei Bobrovsky, but once Florida's 22 year-old goalie of the future, Spencer Knight, returns to the line-up, Stolarz is going to have to find a new home, and he's going to get claimed if the team decides to waive him.
Thing is though, there is no timeline on when Knight will return to the Panthers and by the time he returns, the Toronto Maple Leafs may have Joseph Woll back. Spencer Knight has been playing in the AHL while managing obsessive compulsive disorder.
#2 Alex Lyon - Value Goalie for the Toronto Maple Leafs
Alex Lyon seems to be moving up the goalie ranks. He had a great season with the Florida Panthers last year filling in for Spencer Knight, and he's been excellent with the Detroit Red Wings this season.
He's on great $900k contract that continues through next season. Detroit may have a tough time choosing who to keep when Ville Husso returns to the line-up. The odd man out may be veteran James Riemer.
If Detroit decides to go with a tandem of Husso and Reimer though, Lyon should be a cheap pick-up in a trade or as a waiver claim.
#1 Chris Driedger - Potential Star for the Toronto Maple Leafs
Things haven't been going Chris Driedger's way in Seattle. I remember there was a lot of excitement around him when he was selected in the expansion draft.
He was coming off a couple impressive years with the Florida Panthers and it looked like he was going to get his chance to be a starter until the Seattle Kraken signed Philipp Grubauer as a free agent.
Driedger had a rough year stats-wise during the Kraken's inaugural season, but so did all of Seattle's goaltender's. He then suffered a bad knee injury which kept him out of NHL action all of the last season.
He's only played one NHL game so far this season (and was excellent), but he has great numbers this season and last in the AHL. Driedger could return to starter quality, but he may need a fresh start to prove he's back to form.
When Grubauer returns from injury, Driedger is likely to go back on waivers as the Kraken seem to favour Joey Daccord as back-up.
The Toronto Maple Leafs Top 10 Prospects. The Toronto Maple Leafs Top 10 Prospects. dark. Next
One issue may be Drieger's $3.5 million dollar cap hit. If the Leafs were to swing a deal, Seattle may be willing to retain up to 50% of Driedger's salary. Driedger is a UFA at the end of the season, and Seattle would likely prefer to pay $1.75 million than $3.5 million for a non-roster player.