Leafs targeting another goalie, but once again a no-trade clause could get in the way
Brace yourselves, Leafs Nation, I have some news for you. The Leafs are in need of a goaltender for the playoffs. What? That's not news to anyone? Well, what if I told you that they've expressed an interest in a goaltender not named Marc-Andre Fleury?
According to NYI Hockey Now's Stefan Rosner, a source has informed him that the Leafs had added goaltender Semyon Varlamov to their shortlist of goaltenders who they could be interested in acquiring at or before Monday's trade deadline.
Varlamov is certainly an upgrade over Mrazek, and while Campbell has shown himself to be a capable starter both last season and during the early stages of this season, his rapid drop off has certainly been concerning.
The 33-year-old Varlamov is a proven playoff performer, which is exactly what the Leafs need. The Russian netminder has 60 games of playoff experience, 34 of which game in the last two seasons. In 2019-20, Varlamov appeared in 20 playoff games for the Isles, posting a .921 SV% and a 2.14 GAA. He followed that up with another solid run in 2020-21, appearing in 14 playoff games, also with the Isles, boasting a .922 SV% to go along with a 2.56 GAA.
There are some issues to unpack here, the first one being that if the Leafs are indeed interested in bringing in Varlamov, he carries a $5M cap hit this season and next. This is a problem for two reasons. 1 - Jack Campbell is in need of a new contract and 2 - the Leafs have limited cap space to work with.
The second issue is that Varlamov has a modified no trade clause, allowing him to submit a list of 16 teams that he would be willing to accept a trade to. Would he even consider a move to Toronto? According to Rosner, the asking price for Varlamov would start at a first round pick.
The Leafs are working with a limited runway to get the bird in the air. In such an important season for GM Kyle Dubas, I can't imagine he'll be content with not addressing some of the issues his team has been dealing with. In the ultra-competitive Atlantic Division, there is no room for error. Things are about to get very interesting.
| POLL | ||
15 MARS | 337 ANSWERS Leafs targeting another goalie, but once again a no-trade clause could get in the way Will the Leafs take a real run at Semyon Varlamov at the deadline? | ||
| Yes | 100 | 29.7 % |
| No | 136 | 40.4 % |
| Varlamov isn't worth a 1st rounder | 101 | 30 % |
| List of polls | ||
