Former Leafs goalie appears to be returning to the Leafs organization
In case you missed it, a few shorts weeks ago, the Maple Leafs lost a member of their organization to the Pittsburgh Penguins when Jon Elkin followed Kyle Dubas to the Pens to become the new Director of Goaltending. Now, it would appear as though the Leafs have brought in a familiar face to bolster their goaltending department.
Curtis McElhinney last played for the Leafs in 2017-18, when he put up an astounding .934 SV%. At the time, McElhinney was approaching the twilight of his NHL career and the choice for the organization appeared to come down to the wily veteran or an up-and-coming rookie in Garret Sparks. The organization made the wrong decision, but for the right reasons. Sparks had just put up a .936 SV% and a 1.79 GAA in the AHL and was about to lose waiver eligibility. They did not want to risk losing him before they knew what they had and so McElhinney did not receive a new contract with the team and was left to sign in Carolina in the summer of 2018.
One year later, in the summer of 2019, McElhinney landed a deal in Tampa and won back-to-back Stanley Cups with the Lightning, so it wasn't as though it was all bad for the London, Ontario native. Now, 2 short years later, it looks like things are coming full circle, with McElhinney seemingly returning to the organization.
McElhinney was spotted on Tuesday at Leafs practice, sporting a slick Leafs jacket, which are typically only worn by team employees. Leafs reporter David Alter has suggested that perhaps McElhinney has been hired as either Elkin's replacement or in another role within the Leafs' goaltending department.
If this truly is a homecoming for McElhinney, the Leafs finally got it right. Not only did McElhinney enjoy a successful career as an NHL goaltender, but by all accounts, he's a solid human being and if he can provide any insight to these young Leafs netminders and allow some of his better habits to rub off on them, the organization will be all the better for it.
| POLL | ||
SEPTEMBRE 26 | 803 ANSWERS Former Leafs goalie appears to be returning to the Leafs organization Who do you think is the Leafs' starting goalie by the end of the season? | ||
| Ilya Samsonov | 533 | 66.4 % |
| Joseph Woll | 186 | 23.2 % |
| Martin Jones | 58 | 7.2 % |
| Other | 26 | 3.2 % |
| List of polls | ||
