Insider says the Leafs could be looking at a new goaltender next season; one who is young and inexpensive
Leafs Nation is not quite sure what to expect this summer when it comes to the organization's plans to address their issues in goal. Obviously, the path of least resistance is to re-sign Jack Campbell and hope that Petr Mrazek's injury issues are behind him. Another option is to sign Campbell, move Mrazek and roll with the Campbell/Kallgren tandem that had served the Leafs well down the stretch leading up to the playoffs. The third option is to re-sign Campbell, move Mrazek and make a move to acquire a new backup goaltender. I don't believe the Leafs are even entertaining the idea of moving on from Campbell and retaining Mrazek, so the fourth option for the Leafs appears to be to allow Soupy to walk, move Mrazek and start fresh next season with a new tandem.
Now, I'm not going to sit here and pretend like I know what the Leafs are planning on the goaltending front, but if I had to guess, I'd anticipate that the Leafs are either going to go with Campbell/Kallgren, or Campbell and a new backup. However, according to NHL Insider Chris Johnston, the Leafs may be looking for a fresh face in goal next season.
Johnston didn't mention the name of a goaltender that the Leafs may be targeting, but he did narrow the field a bit by mentioning that the Leafs could be after a goaltender who has yet to break out, someone who could be signed to a cheaper deal, which would be of great benefit to the Leafs given their current cap situation.
The most important factor here in what the Leafs decide to do is likely going to be the ask of Jack Campbell. If he is intent on signing a long-term, big money deal, the Leafs are likely to go elsewhere. However, if Campbell is amenable to signing a shorter-term deal for reasonable money, we may yet see him back in the Blue and White, perhaps either with a new tandem partner, or as the club's clear cut number one with a new backup.
| POLL | ||
MAI 21 | 593 ANSWERS Insider says the Leafs could be looking at a new goaltender next season; one who is young and inexpensive Should the Leafs bring back Campbell next season, or bring in a fresh face? | ||
| Bring back Jack | 308 | 51.9 % |
| A fresh face might be the best route | 130 | 21.9 % |
| Why not both? | 155 | 26.1 % |
| List of polls | ||
