The Last Thing the Maple Leafs Need Is Another Goalie
With the trade deadline looming, many people are speculating whether or not the team should trade for a goalie. The short is answer is no, and they should spend their assets somewhere else instead.
The Toronto Maple Leafs have had one of the most up-and-down seasons we've seen in a while.
The Toronto Maple Leafs went from having just an average start, to an eventual 10-1-4 run that began in November, to going over a month without beating a good team, to now being 4-1 in their last 5 games.
Paralleling their up-and-down season has been the Leafs rotation of goaltenders. When the team needs one of them to play well, they have gotten strong play from them.
The Toronto Maple Leafs have some bigger holes on their team that need to be addressed, and with a lack of prospects and draft picks, the Leafs assets need to be used correctly.
The Last Thing The Toronto Maple Leafs Need Is Another Goalie
At one point, Joseph Woll looked like the only NHL-calibre goalie in the entire system, but after Woll's injury in December, Martin Jones picked up the slack. Jones went on a run in December and early January, winning 8 out of 12 games and posting 2 shutouts.
When Jones' magic ran out, Ilya Samsonov started playing like his old self again.
After a horrendous start, including being sent down to the AHL, Samsonov has got his confidence back.
He has put together 4 strong games since returning the the Leafs, including a shutout victory over the Winnipeg Jets and a wave of support from Leafs fans.
Unless 2 (or more) of Joseph Woll, Martin Jones, and Ilya Samsonov are injured by the time the playoffs roll around, the Leafs should be fine between the pipes.
On top of this, the Leafs have some bigger holes in the lineup that need to be filled.
The biggest need for this team is a top-4 defenseman, ideally one with solid play in his own zone and with some strong puck-moving skills.
Another good addition would be a forward. A top-6 forward would be nice, but as I said before, the top of their list should be a top-4 defenseman.
With a lack of high draft picks (including no first round pick in 2025, and no second round picks for the next 3 years) the Leafs need to be smart on what they spend their draft picks on, and a goalie is not what they need right now.
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With the trade deadline right around the corner, it will be interesting to see what Brad Treliving and the Leafs decide to do come deadline day.