Dubas addresses goaltending plans for the trade deadline
Kyle Dubas held a media availability at Tim Horton's field in Hamilton today, the site of the upcoming Heritage Classic Game against the Buffalo Sabres.
Right out of the gate, the first question was about the recent struggles of his netminders. This prompted a laugh from Dubas, who went on to say that he's not worried about the Leafs' goaltending situation. He reminded the reporters that Campbell was an All Star this year, and that Petr Mrazek has been a good goaltender throughout his near 300-game NHL career. He pointed out Mrazek's recent performances against he Wild and Capitals, and said that the embarrassing loss to the Sabres was on the players, not Mrazek.
Dubas has a point. Goalies can be up and down and both Leafs goalies have played well this season. Campbell started the year on an incredible run, but he's a goalie that runs on confidence. If Jack can get his mojo back before the post season, the Leafs will be in good shape. Mrazek, on the other hand, is very reactionary and plays a riskier game, even at the best of times. When he is on his game he is spectacular, but if he is just the tiniest bit off, he's a disaster. Unfortunately that's the duality of goaltenders.
The truth is that there really isn't a true upgrade available. Marc-Andre Fleury is an option, but his numbers this season are no better than Campbell's. He would take up a large portion of the Leafs remaining cap space even if he were half retained, not to mention costing them valuable trade chips. It also seems odd to trade for a goalie with a history of being replaced in the playoffs, as harsh as that sounds. And then there's the matter of Fleury having the ability to block a trade to Toronto.
Their likely first round opponent, the Florida Panthers, haven't exactly had consistent goaltending of late either, but what they do have is a high powered offence. It would be much smarter to acquire a player who could help stymie that than to gamble on a goaltender.
Dubas also revealed that he may only have one more move coming unless the prognosis on Jake Muzzin is bad. The Leafs' GM says that he is likely to use that move on a defenseman. Likely a smart move if the plan is to trust that his two netminders will figure things out, because if they don't, a stronger defense may be the key to postseason success for the Buds, who have shown their ability to score their way out of trouble all season long.
| POLL | ||
MARS 4 | 185 ANSWERS Dubas addresses goaltending plans for the trade deadline Do you think Dubas will stick to his word, or do you think he's going to trade for a goalie? | ||
| He'll stand pat with Mrazek and Soup | 101 | 54.6 % |
| He'll look for an upgrade | 66 | 35.7 % |
| Show me the results | 18 | 9.7 % |
| List of polls | ||
