Why it wouldn't be a significant blow to the Leafs if someone claimed Martin Jones off of waivers
Much has been made about the fact that the Leafs may end up losing 3rd string goaltender Martin Jones to waivers, either before the season begins or shortly thereafter. Most teams simply don't have the luxury of carrying 3 goaltenders throughout an entire season and that's just the fact of the matter. Still, it doesn't make fans feel too good knowing that a player that they may have been excited about the team having signed in the offseason on his way out of Toronto before he has even played a regular season game.
I'm don't have any misconceptions of what Martin Jones is. He's an experienced, veteran goalie who can step in and play games if needed. That's sort of where the line is for me. I don't think he'll be a game-changer and I don't think he'll challenge either of Ilya Samsonov or Joseph Woll for any playing time this season. If they're healthy, those are the guys. Jones hasn't shown me anything in the last 5 seasons to indicate that he'd be an improvement over Samsonov or Woll in any facet.
As The Leafs Nation's Nick Richard pointed out on Sunday, Jones' year-over-year save percentages between 2018-19 and 2022-23 are not exceptional. They're not even average.
2022-23: .887%
2021-22: .900%
2020-21: .896%
2019-20: .896%
2018-19: .896%
Yes, Jones won 27 games in Seattle last season. And, to that point, he could very well win 27 games with the Leafs this season if something were to happen to allow him to play 48 games in Toronto. However, that may not necessarily be a reflection of the goaltender. It might be more of a reflection of the team.
If the Leafs were to place Jones on waivers and lose him, would it make them a worse team? No, I don't think it would. Yes, it would deplete their depth a bit, but he's merely a replacement-level goalie who happens to have played 444 NHL games. That's how I see him.
In a perfect world, if the Leafs felt as though they were going to lose Jones on waivers, I'd just as soon try to trade him to Tampa or another team in need of a goalie - even if it's just a late-round pick or a B or C prospect coming back. However, if he is claimed off of waivers in the coming weeks or so, I don't think I'll lose any sleep over it. You shouldn't either.
| POLL | ||
OCTOBRE 1 | 444 ANSWERS Why it wouldn't be a significant blow to the Leafs if someone claimed Martin Jones off of waivers Would you be upset if the Leafs lost Martin Jones on waivers? | ||
| Yes | 205 | 46.2 % |
| No | 125 | 28.2 % |
| Why not just trade him? | 114 | 25.7 % |
| List of polls | ||
