An interesting goalie swap scenario has suddenly become available to the Maple Leafs
The Toronto Maple Leafs are in a bit of a precarious position in goal at the moment, with Joseph Woll slated to miss likely another month of action with a high-ankle sprain and a duo of Martin Jones and Ilya Samsonov that is, well, less than ideal.
Jones has put his best foot forward with the Leafs this season, giving the team a handful of quality starts, including a 38-save shutout against the Pittsburgh Penguins on Saturday night, but he was also shelled against the New York Rangers on Tuesday, allowing 4 goals on some pretty tough bounces in a 5-2 loss against the Rangers on home ice at Scotiabank Arena.
After 4 appearances this season, Jones is 3-1-0 for the Leafs, with a 2.55 GAA and a .930 SV%, but there's nothing in his history, beyond a 19-game stretch with the Los Angeles Kings in his rookie season back in 2013-14, to suggest that he can maintain that sort of play for the Leafs this season.
Meanwhile, Samsonov has been borderline unplayable for much of the year. Owner of a 5-1-5 record after being pulled twice this season, Samsonov carries a 3.51 GAA and a .878 SV% through his 13 appearances and is leaving a lot to be desired, especially in comparison to how well he had played last season.
The Maple Leafs are in a bit of a bind right now. Yes, they can continue to play the hot hand of Martin Jones, but history has shown us that he'll cool off eventually. Yes, they can hope that Samsonov figures things out and returns to the level that he had shown he was capable of playing at last season, but there is another option available to them - one that gives them some stability at the goaltending position beyond this season.
According to The Fourth Period's David Pagnotta, Columbus Blue Jackets goaltender Elvis Merzlikins may be available. A few short days ago, Pagnotta shared a quote from Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman that suggested that multiple sources have suggested that Merzlikins could be moved this season. He does have a $5.4M cap hit, but he is signed through 2026-27, which could provide the Leafs with a formidable tandem in Woll and Merzlikins well beyond this year
If the Leafs were to offer, say, Samsonv, a pick and a prospect, would it be enough to entice the rebuilding Blue Jackets to retain some money on Merzlikins? Samsonov carries a $3.55M cap hit, but is a UFA at season's end. So, if the Blue Jackets retained some salary, say, even $1.4M on Merzlikins to keep him around the $4M mark that could be attractive to the Leafs. A cost-certain goalie for 3 more seasons after this one, capable of playing 50 games in a season and providing above average goaltending is certainly an attractive commodity.
Merzlikins' numbers have seen a bit of a drop off during the course of the Jackets' rebuild, which should be expected. Now, after a few seasons of watching his numbers drop year-over-year, Merzlikins is enjoying a bit of a bounce-back year, having played in 20 games, posting a 3.19 GAA and a .909 SV% on a bad Blue Jackets team. Moving him to a stronger team, such as the Leafs, would likely yield much better results than what he's experienced this year in Columbus.
At one point, prior to the rebuild in Columbus, Merzlikins looked to be a premier netminder in the making. His rookie season in 2019-20 saw him post a 2.35 GAA and a .923 SV% across 33 starts. The following season, Merzlikins didn't experience much of a sophomore slump, posting a 2.77 GAA and a .916 SV%, which were still very respectable numbers for a young netminder. After that, his numbers took a bit of a dip, but again, this was largely because the Jackets began to tear down the roster to embark upon a rebuild.
Personally, I've always liked Merzlikins, so I'm probably a little biased here. Samsonov, while talented, appears to be far too much of a head case - easily shaken and rattled. We saw it during his time in Washington, and now we're seeing it during his 2nd season in Toronto. I just don't know how much more time I'd like to see the Leafs actually invest in him when there are other options.
By all accounts, Joseph Woll looks to be the future starter for the Leafs. Dennis Hildeby also looks like a real NHL goalie in the making with his standout season in the AHL this year, but both of these guys will require a bit of time and seasoning. Bringing in Merzlikins for the next 3 years can certainly provide some stability in the crease until the young guys are ready to take over full-time.
| POLL | ||
DECEMBRE 21 | 1231 ANSWERS An interesting goalie swap scenario has suddenly become available to the Maple Leafs Would you trade Ilya Samsonov+ for Elvis Merzlikins? | ||
| Yes | 1030 | 83.7 % |
| No | 201 | 16.3 % |
| List of polls | ||
