The Toronto Maple Leafs are in the market for a goaltender this summer.
Whether that ends up being a big-name franchise goalie or one who can work in tandem with Joseph Woll next season remains to be seen.
Joseph Woll, as good as he's been, has been injury prone and has just 39 NHL games to his credit. Ilya Samsonov, Matt Murray, and Martin Jones are unrestricted free agents (UFA). This leaves the Leafs with little goaltending depth for next season and beyond.
Toronto Maple Leafs general manager Brad Treliving will explore all his options while hoping to find the right goaltending partner for Woll. So, whether through a trade or in free agency, Treliving is clearly shopping for a goaltender. So far, there are two names that have come up in this regard, and they are Laurent Brossoit and Jacob Markstrom.
Will The Toronto Maple Leafs Get One of Their Goaltending Targets?
Brossoit is 31 years old and is from Port Alberni, British Columbia. He will be entering his 11th NHL season next season. The former 6th-round draft pick of the Calgary Flames has played for the Edmonton Oilers, Winnipeg Jets, and Vegas Golden Knights. Brossoit posted a 15-5-2 record last season with the Jets.
He finished the season with a 2.00 GAA and a .927 SV% with three shutouts. During the Golden Knights Stanley Cup-winning playoff run in 2023, Brossoit posted a 5-2 playoff record in eight games.
(All stats from hockey-reference.com)
Markstrom is 34 years old and is from Gavel, Sweden. He will be entering his 15th NHL season next season. The former 2nd-round draft pick of the Florida Panthers has played for the Panthers, Vancouver Canucks, and Calgary Flames.
Markstrom posted a 23-23-2 record last season with the Flames. He finished the season with a 2.78 GAA and a .9205 SV% with two shutouts. Markstrom has played a total of 26 playoff games and has a 13-13 playoff record.
Brossoit and Markstrom are both veteran players who could help mentor Woll and prepare him to be the Leafs number one goaltender. Acquiring Brossoit will be easier than Markstrom since he is a free agent and Markstrom is still under contract.
Markstrom has two years left on his deal with a $6 million salary cap hit. He also has a no-movement clause, so he can turn down any trade to the Leafs if he wants to. Treliving and Markstrom know each other well from their time together with the Flames, but that might not be a good enough reason for him to switch teams. (Salary cap info from capfriendly.com)
Brossoit is reportedly looking for a short-term deal with an annual value of $3 million. A good deal for the Leafs if they want Brossoit would be a two-year deal totaling $6 million ($3 million AAV). This deal would give the Leafs a tandem of Woll and Brossoit for a cost of $3.76 million next season.
We'll have to see what Treliving does to solidify his goaltending, but Brossoit and Markstrom are the big rumours so far.