Is Jordan Binnington to the Maple Leafs a real possibility?

With Ilya Samsonov clearly on the way out in Toronto, the blue and white will be looking for a veteran tandem type goalie to replace him and help mentor Joseph Woll. If the Leafs are willing to get creative with their pursuit of an upgrade over Samsonov, there's nowhere better to start than to inquire on St. Louis Blues goalie Jordan Binnington.

If the Blues agreed to retain salary on Binnington, the temperamental goalie could be a steal for the Leafs. The 30-year-old netminder is arguably coming off of his best statistical season since the Blues captured the Stanley Cup in the 2018-19 season. We also know he can play a good amount of games for a team as he played in 57 last year and is coming off a season where he sported an impressive .913 save percentage, which is well above the league average of .903.

He would also be a big upgrade on Samsonov as Binnington by far surpasses him in every statistic in the 2023-24 season.

Jordan Binnington
GP: 57
Wins: 28
Save percentage: .913
GAA: 2.84

Ilya Samsonov
GP: 40
Wins: 23
Save percentage: .890
GAA: 3.13

Also, Binnington played for new Leafs coach Craig Berube in St. Louis and got his first real shot with the team under Berube's charge, so the new Leafs coach knows how to get the best out of him.

The only knock on the Blues goalie is his current AAV of $6 Million a year. While capable of being a good starting goaltender, Binnington isn't exactly a $6M goalie either. If the Blues were to retain a chunk of change on Binnington, allowing him to reach the Leafs with a $4M-$4.5M cap hit, that would be much more palatable for the Leafs. The question is, what would it cost for that type of retention?

Binnington has 3 years left on his current contract, so if the Blues were to retain 25% ($1.5M) of his deal for the next 3 seasons, they're going to want a pretty handsome return. The question here is, do the Leafs have what the Blues might want in a pure player-for-player hockey trade, or would it be more about putting together a fair package and then adding a sweetener for that retention? From there, the next logical question is, what would that sweetener look like?

Obviously the Leafs have already established that Matthew Knies, Easton Cowan and Fraser Minten are untouchables. These young players are the future in Toronto, and with Binnington already being 30 years of age, it's unlikely that we see the Leafs change their tune on their 3 budding young stars. However, would someone like Timothy Liljegren or Topi Niemela be available? Could the Leafs entice the Blues with one of their young goaltending prospects, such as Vyacheslav Peksa or reigning VHL goalie of the year Artur Akhtyamov?

Honestly, there are more questions than answers here, but with Joel Hofer coming up in St. Louis and Binnington perhaps ready for a move at this stage in his career, maybe there's a deal to be made to bring the Richmond Hill, Ontario native home.