Sheldon Keefe confirms the Leafs' plan for Martin Jones with Joseph Woll returning tonight
After a lengthy layoff due to a high-ankle sprain suffered back at the beginning of December, Joseph Woll is finally expected to make his return tonight for the Leafs against the Arizona Coyotes. The announcement is an exciting one, but it also opened a window for some concern from fans about what this might mean for Martin Jones.
It's not often where you see a team carry 3 goalies on the active 23-man roster, especially when that team is cap-strapped. However, last week, Sheldon Keefe had suggested that while the final decision was in Brad Treliving's hands, he certainly would prefer to keep 3 goalies on the roster as a precaution, to protect the interests of the team in case of injury.
This morning, after announcing that Woll would receive his first start since December 7th, Keefe also confirmed that all 3 of Woll, Samsonov and Jones would remain on the roster, implying that Brad Treliving has signed off on the idea.
Having 3 goalies can make it tough on a coach to juggle the starts to ensure that everyone remains engaged, involved and that their skills remain sharp. Obviously, Woll and Samsonov will be the primary options and Jones will remain the team's 3rd stringer.
There are benefits to rolling 3 goalies as well, though, as Keefe now has the option to dress Jones as a backup for either Woll or Samsonov on any given night, giving one of his top tandem a full night off, as opposed to having them get dressed, sit on the bench and risk injury if they're forced to come into a game cold.
Time will tell how the starts will be divided, but I'd imagine that it will wind up being something like 50% for Woll, 40% for Samsonov, 10% for Jones. Obviously, their play will dictate whether it remains that way, but as of right now, that's how I see the timeshare shaping up.
| POLL | ||
FEVRIER 29 | 931 ANSWERS Sheldon Keefe confirms the Leafs' plan for Martin Jones with Joseph Woll returning tonight Are the Leafs making the right call carrying 3 goalies the rest of the way? | ||
| Yes | 737 | 79.2 % |
| No | 145 | 15.6 % |
| They should still upgrade in net at the deadline | 49 | 5.3 % |
| List of polls | ||
