Report: Leafs could move one of their goaltenders this summer
The Leafs don't have many weaknesses right now. They're deep on offense, with the additions of Ryan O'Reilly, Sam Lafferty and Noel Acciari. They're deep on defense with the additions of Jake McCabe, Luke Schenn and Erik Gustafsson. They're also pretty deep in goal, if you can believe it.
Beyond Matt Murray and Ilya Samsonov, it's true that the Leafs don't have much NHL experience with Joseph Woll and Erik Kallgren. But what they do have is 4 goalies who are capable of playing in the NHL and who are capable of providing the Leafs with a quality start. Kallgren is certainly the biggest concern of the 4 should the Buds wind up in a situation where they need him to play, but they'd need 3 guys to go down before ever having to worry about that - and if it does come to the Leafs needing to rely on Kallgren, he holds wins over Carolina and Pittsburgh this year and he did help the Leafs beat the Bruins at the start of the year after Samsonov had to vacate a game against the B's on November 5th with a knee injury. He's clearly capable of helping the Leafs to beat some good teams if it comes to that.
Woll is an interesting case. No, he doesn't have a lot of NHL experience. But what he does have are solid numbers at the NHL level and a lot of promise. In 7 games at the NHL level, Woll owns a 5-2-0 record, a 2.45 GAA and a .922 SV%. His 3 games this season provide even more hope, as he's gone 2-1-0, with a 2.04 GAA and a .938 SV%. No, his sample size isn't large, but he's posted equally impressive numbers at the AHL level over a larger sample this season as well. So far, in 16 games with the Toronto Marlies, Woll is 15-1-0, with a 2.24 GAA and a .933 SV%. Not only is he among the elite in his league and an AHL all-star, but former NHL goalie Mike McKenna has previously called Woll one of the best young talents he's ever worked with.
Woll has NHL size, standing 6'3, 203 lbs. A former 3rd round pick in 2016 (62nd overall), Woll is approaching the age where he could be worth a real look at the NHL level. That's why The Score's Kyle Cushman believes that the Leafs have some very "interesting goaltending decisions" to make this summer, in his own words.
Head coach Sheldon Keefe and goaltending coach Curtis Sanford have both given glowing reviews of Woll this year. GM Kyle Dubas has also placed a lot of trust and confidence in Woll's abilities. Just last week, Dubas revealed that the Leafs are very encouraged by what they've seen from Woll and, to a lesser extent, Kallgren. That's one of the primary reasons why the Leafs didn't go out and secure an insurance goaltender ahead of the deadline.
Yes, the sample size is small on Woll, but at some point, the kid has to play. The Leafs haven't produced a legit, in-house, drafted and developed goaltender since James Reimer. Woll appears to have all of the tools and the belief of his GM and his coaches. When you combine that with Matt Murray's inability to stay healthy, it's not that farfetched to suggest that the Leafs could look to shed the final year of Murray's contract, clearing $4.687M off the books and reallocate that some of that money to Ilya Samsonov, who is due a hefty raise this summer. Samsonov is a pending RFA with arbitration rights and has done everything the Leafs have asked of him this season and then some. He deserves a new deal and has proven that not only can he remain healthy for long stretches, but provide the Buds with solid goaltending on a nightly basis. He also appears to rebound well after a rough outing. That sort of resiliency is important.
I know that a Samsonov/Woll tandem doesn't exactly strike fear into the hearts of the opposition, or generate a lot of confidence from a fanbase who is starved for success, but if Woll is the real deal (and he very well could be), they could end up being a formidable tandem - and Woll might just end up becoming a household name. All star and superstar goaltenders start out as promising young prospects. Some of them are even drafted much later than Woll was. Pekka Rinne, for example, was an 8th round draft pick. Connor Hellebuyck was a 5th round draft pick. The reigning Vezina Trophy winner, Igor Shesterkin, was a 4th round draft pick. The point I'm trying to make is that sooner or later, one of these darts that the Leafs are throwing at the dart board is going to hit. Why not now? Why not Woll?
| POLL | ||
MARS 9 | 313 ANSWERS Report: Leafs could move one of their goaltenders this summer Should the Leafs try to move the final year of Matt Murray's $4.687M contract this summer? | ||
| Yes | 287 | 91.7 % |
| No | 26 | 8.3 % |
| List of polls | ||
