Leafs running out of options in goal fast and two more goaltenders were just pulled from the market
With the goaltending market ever-thinning, Leafs GM Kyle Dubas is running out of time to secure his starting goaltender for the 2022-23 season. Marc-Andre Fleury, Alexandar Georgiev, Ville Husso and Vitek Vanecek were all goaltenders that Dubas had inquired on, according to the Leafs GM himself, but for one reason or another, a deal could just not be reached. Now he's running out of runway and it's becoming a real concern.
Following the draft, Daily Faceoff's Frank Seravalli revealed on his podcast that two more options may be off the table for the Leafs, as the New Jersey Devils are now preparing to hold on to MacKenzie Blackwood and run a Blackwood/Vanecek tandem. Blackwood had been linked to the Leafs on a number of occasions in the weeks leading up to the draft.
Another potential option for the Leafs, if they got desperate (a point which they may be nearing) was veteran goaltender Braden Holtby. Seravalli put the pin back in that one as well, as he announced that Holtby is not likely to play in 2022-23 and that his career may actually be coming to an abrupt end.
The top options remaining for the Leafs appear to be Darcy Kuemper, John Gibson, Semyon Varlamov and their own Jack Campbell - though a recent rift between Wild GM Bill Guerin and veteran Cam Talbot may provide them with another potential option.
Whichever way the Leafs decide to go, there will be competition, as both the Edmonton Oilers and Washington Capitals are also believed to be among the teams with a strong interest in nabbing a goalie this summer. If the Leafs want to avoid the trade market and spare themselves from spending the assets, their two options will be Kuemper and Campbell. If the Oilers and Caps are also in on both of these veterans, there's going to be one team left empty-handed and headed to the trade market. Let's just hope, for the Leafs' sake, it's not them.
| POLL | ||
JUILLET 8 | 628 ANSWERS Leafs running out of options in goal fast and two more goaltenders were just pulled from the market If you had a choice between Jack Campbell and Darcy Kuemper and the cost was the same term and same salary, who would you take? | ||
| Campbell | 287 | 45.7 % |
| Kuemper | 341 | 54.3 % |
| List of polls | ||
