Kyle Dubas reveals whether or not he'll add an insurance goaltender at the deadline
The Leafs made one of the biggest deals of the year this past week, sending prospect Mikhail Abramov, depth forward Adam Gaudette and 3 draft picks to the St. Louis Blues in exchange for Ryan O'Reilly at 50% of his salary along with depth forward Noel Acciari. They also sent a 2025 4th round pick to the Minnesota Wild for some additional retention on O'Reilly.
Following the conclusion of the deal, Leafs GM Kyle Dubas met with the media over the weekend to discuss the move. He also mentioned that he was not yet done exploring the market and that if another opportunity presented itself to improve the team, he'd look at his options there as well.
Dubas was asked point blank during his availability whether or not he'd pursue a deal for an insurance goaltender at the deadline. His answer was actually quite surprising. The Leafs GM stated that the organization was happy with where they were at in terms of goaltending depth for this playoff run. He pointed to Murray's return being just around the corner and Samsonov's stellar play this season as the main reasons behind being satisfied with what they have. He also pointed to both Joseph Woll and Erik Kallgren having some NHL experience under their belt and affirmed that they've both earned an opportunity to help the team if they're called upon.
The decision is likely going to be looked at as a questionable one, as Murray is oft-injured and Woll only has 6 games of NHL experience. Kallgren only has 24 games of NHL experience and has not looked particularly strong in the NHL, nor in the AHL this season, posting an .898 SV% with the Leafs in 10 appearances and an .884 SV% in 16 games with the Marlies.
There's certainly still time for Dubas to pivot and acquire an experienced NHL goaltender before next week's trade deadline, but if he sticks to his guns and the Leafs run into goaltending issues in the postseason, he could be gambling his job on Joseph Woll or Erik Kallgren putting together a strong run - which is less than ideal.
| POLL | ||
FEVRIER 20 | 385 ANSWERS Kyle Dubas reveals whether or not he'll add an insurance goaltender at the deadline Should Dubas acquire an insurance goaltender for the Leafs' upcoming playoff run? | ||
| Yes | 225 | 58.4 % |
| No | 160 | 41.6 % |
| List of polls | ||
