Looking back at a few of the Leafs' goalie tandems over the last 5 seasons and forward to a Sammy/Woll tandem
Goaltending has been an interesting topic of conversation in Toronto in recent years because it seems like every season brings about a brand new tandem between the pipes for the Leafs. Frederik Andersen had a different back up goaltender for 4 consecutive years, then Jack Campbell took over with a few different tandems, before the Matt Murray and Ilya Samsonov duo from this past season.
Going back to the last 5 years, we rank the best and worst tandems the Leafs have rolled out as we also look ahead to what could be the most promising duo in Samsonov and Joseph Woll in 2023-24.
Good: 2022-23: Samsonov, Murray, Woll
Statistically speaking, the Maple Leafs quartet that also included Erik Kallgren had the second highest save percentage - .913 SV% to .914 SV% in 2018-19 - but the best G.A.A at 2.56 in large part because of Samsonov and Woll.
Samsonov was the bell cow with 42 appearances and 27 victories while sporting an impressive .919 SV% and a 2.33 G.A.A. - which were both tops amongst Leaf goaltenders with over 30 games played since 2018. He was exceptional for most of the season with a few hiccups along the way but was instrumental in their first round victory against Tampa Bay.
Murray struggled to stay healthy all season but had one of the best stretches once he returned from his first injury back in November. He went 6-0-2 in the 8 games following his return with a .941 SV% and only allowed 17 goals. While Woll only appeared in 7 games, he was spectacular against some solid teams to boot, going 6-1-0 with a .932 SV% and a 2.16 G.A.A and carved a niche heading into 2023-24 as the 1B to Samsonov's 1A.
Ugly: 2019-20: Frederik Andersen, Michael Hutchinson, Jack Campbell
It wasn't a disastrous season by any means but going by the numbers this trio sported a 5-year-low in G.A.A. at 3.03 and a measly save percentage of .901 as a team. Their save percentage was tied for 11th worst with Nashville, Anaheim, and New Jersey and was just a shade better than Montreal and Vegas.
Frederik Andersen sported a 29-13-7 record but a subpar save percentage at .909% and a G.A.A at 2.85. His backup in Hutchinson didn't help by any means as he went 4-9-1 with a .886 SV% and a 3.66 G.A.A but Campbell showed some promise in 6 starts with a .915 SV% and a 2.63 G.A.A.
They also had the 3rd worst save percentage while on 5-on-5, 4th highest expected goals against, 3rd highest in actual goals against, allowed the 2nd most high danger goals against, and were 13th in PDO. It was a mix of some shoddy defense but some backbreaking goaltending at inopportune moments.
Bad: 2020-21: Jack Campbell, Frederik Andersen, Micheal Hutchinson, David Rittich
With two very capable net-minders patrolling the crease in Andersen and Campbell, a lot more was expected but unfortunately what we witnessed was the changing of the guard instead.
Andersen who had been the starter for the previous 4 seasons, struggled to the tune of a .895 SV% and a 2.96 G.A.A despite a 13-8-3 record, while Campbell shined brightly with a .921 SV%, a 2.15 G.A.A, and a fantastic 17-3-2 record. Hutchinson added 8 solid start with a .919 SV% and a 2.42 G.A.A but Andersen's struggles held the Leafs back a little bit.
Campbell shined in the post-season with a .934 SV% and a 1.81 G.A.A but the Leafs fell to the Montreal Canadiens in the first round. However, that opened up a huge opportunity for Campbell heading into 2021-22.
Heading into 2023-24, the tandem of Samsonov and Woll could very well eclipse 2022-23 by a mile if they can pick up where they left off last year. Woll has all the makings of a future starting goaltender, while Samsonov has something left to prove after stumbling in the playoffs and going through arbitration, stating his case as a $4.9M goaltender before ultimately being awarded a $3.55M cap hit.
| POLL | ||
AOUT 1 | 346 ANSWERS Looking back at a few of the Leafs' goalie tandems over the last 5 seasons and forward to a Sammy/Woll tandem Will a Samsonov/Woll tandem be the best Leafs tandem in the last 5 years? | ||
| Yes | 238 | 68.8 % |
| No | 108 | 31.2 % |
| List of polls | ||
