The Toronto Maple Leafs Should Chase 1 of 4 Impact Goalies Available
The Toronto Maple Leafs clearly need a goalie.
Currently, the Toronto Maple Leafs are switching back and forth between Ilya Samsonov and Martin Jones, neither of whom anyone wants within ten miles of the eventual playoff roster.
Joseph Woll is due back soon from a high-ankle sprain, but for a goalie that's a tough injury to come back from, and the Leafs can't expect him to pick up where he left off.
Even if they could, Woll has been injured frequently and missed a lot of games over the last three years, so they can't rely on him to save their season - he is simply too likely to force them to have to rely on Samsonov or Jones.
It is pretty obvious they need a goalie, and what's more, there are at least four impact goalies potentially available.
The Toronto Maple Leafs Should Chase 1 of 4 Impact Goalies Available
The least desirable of the four, and thus the likeliest to land, would be Jordan Binnington. He has a Cup, he's a proven playoff performer, and prior to last season, he was looking to join the exclusive group of NHL goalies who are pretty much always good.
Its not a guarantee that he'd be a great pickup, but it's a lot better of a bet than sticking with Woll or Samsonov.
The next two guys you could put in either order, as they are more desirable than Binnington, but are not the most exciting potentially available goalie there is. They are John Gibson and Jacob Markstrom.
Markstrom is having an UNBELIEVABLE year and may or may not be a Vezina candidate. He is the oldest and has a bad contract that goes on for several more seasons, but you wouldn't care too much if he delivered a Stanley Cup.
Given the way he is playing, the Leafs could do a lot worse. The other option is John Gibson who is younger, but signed to a $6.4 million dollar cap-hit for the next four years. That's honestly not that bad, and he might be way better outside of Anaheim. A bet on his talent and upside wouldn't be the worst idea. He might even come cheap, as that contract isn't doing anyone any favors.
The most desirable goalie available is Jusso Sauros, as I've written several times now already. Though he might not even be available, if he is, he's worth all the resources it would take to land him. This kind of goalie is never available, and if you have even a slight chance to land him you have to try.
All of these guys would be a great upgrade over everything the Leafs currently have, and outside of Saros, the cost wouldn't be too high. The Leafs have the cap space if they want it, so they are well advised to improve in net before the playoffs.
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This team has never had the kind of goalie that makes a difference, and it would be fun to see what they could do with one.