For the past few weeks, as we inch closer to free agency on July 1st, it has become clearer and clearer that the Maple Leafs will be moving on from Ilya Samsonov this summer.
With Joseph Woll in need of a new tandem partner, the two most popular names in the rumour mill in connection to the Leafs have been Jacob Markstrom and Laurent Brossoit. The question is, can the Leafs make it work with either guy?
Markstrom has term remaining on his deal and a $6M cap hit, so that's certainly one complication. As Friedman pointed out this week on "Leafs Morning Take", deals between the Leafs and the Flames are not easy to come by, since Brad Treliving left the organization and signed on with the Leafs last summer.
Rumours that ownership and upper management weren't too pleased with Treliving departing the way he did have persisted, which could make a deal for Markstrom next to impossible, unless another team acquired the veteran netminder and flipped him to Toronto.
When it comes to Brossoit, there is rumoured to be mutual interest between he and the Maple Leafs, but as Friedman pointed out on Wednesday, there would certainly be concerns about sustainability in Toronto, as Woll and Brossoit didn't even combine for 82 games this past season. As a result, Friedman stated that if Brossoit is the guy the Leafs go after on July 1st, they'll need to have a 3rd goalie available as well, much like what the team did with Martin Jones this season.
Obviously, there could be more irons in the fire for Treliving in Toronto, and we could see additional names emerge as realistic options for the Leafs in net. For now, though, it would appear as though Brossoit and Markstrom remain the two top options, even if there are some concerns there.
