After they crashed out of the playoffs in the first round and hired a new head coach to lead the team, the Toronto Maple Leafs staff fully transitioned into offseason mode.
On May 27, Joshua Kloke of The Athletic reported that the front office is already “in roster dissection mode’ and ‘analyzing everything they have at their disposal.”
In his report, Kloke focused on the Leafs’ need to “acquire a goalie of prominence this offseason.”
“They’re interested in two types of goalies: A starter with a track record of carrying a heavy workload or a cheaper goalie to be paired in a tandem,” Kloke wrote, adding, “The prices and availability of different goalies could, in part, dictate their decision.”
Throughout the 2024 season, Toronto used a three-man rotation in net featuring Ilya Samsonov (40 starts), Joseph Woll (23), and Martin Jones (19). The trio achieved a save percentage of .898, allowed an average of 3.01 goals per game, and combined for 46 wins.
Woll is still a young netminder about to turn 26 years old. He has only played 36 games in the NHL, split into three seasons (he started 4 games in 2022, 7 in 2023, and broke out as a starter with 23 starts in 2024).
According to Spotrac, Samsonov and Jones are pending unrestricted free agents.
Maple Leafs’ Trade Targets to Fill the No. 1 Goalie Role
Considering goalies take the most time to turn pro once they get drafted and Toronto has the No. 23 pick of the 2024 draft, that’s a no-no.
That, in turn, leaves the Maple Leafs with two paths to address their problems in net. They will either trade for a netminder or sign a goalie in free agency.
“Jacob Markstrom (who has a No-Move Clause) and Juuse Saros make some sense as trade targets,” Kloke wrote in his report. “Their respective teams, the Calgary Flames and Nashville Predators, aren’t in a position to contend immediately and each have younger goalies.”
Kloke includes Markstrom and Saros in his report as they are the two highest-profile goalies available for trade. Additionally, the Boston Bruins will also actively try to move Linus Ullmark in the offseason.
The author, however, pointed out that the Bruins play in the same division as the Leafs, potentially creating a roadblock for a deal.
“Acquiring notable pieces from within your own division is a difficult proposition for any NHL team. But that shouldn’t prevent Treliving from understanding the cost of acquiring Linus Ullmark from the Bruins,” Kloke wrote.
Kloke summarized that chasing a trade for a top-tier goalie will come down to how many assets the Leafs are willing to part with in a deal.
“The pieces that will need to be shipped out to acquire any of the high-profile goalies won’t be insignificant,” Kloke wrote. “We’re talking big risk and (potentially) big reward when it comes to the starting goalie position.”
Free Agents to Play 1B to Joseph Woll’s 1A Role
Conversely, the Leafs can find a cheaper option in the free-agent market. Toronto could pay for whoever is available instead of giving up any assets in a trade.
Kloke thinks that “signing a goalie to share the load with Woll could provide close to comparable results as a true starter might.”
Moreover, Kloke thinks signing a free agent would “reduce the risk that comes with being locked into a longer deal,” mentioning Laurent Brossoit, Anthony Stolarz, and Alex Nedeljkovic as the best goalies who “deserve consideration as UFAs.”
Kloke thinks that if the Leafs want to land Brossoit, they will need to give him more than 23 starts next season. One way to accomplish that would be to let Samsonov (and Jones) go.
“It’s believed Brossoit would prefer to sign with a team that can offer a step up from the 23 games he played in Winnipeg this season,” Kloke wrote.
Regarding Florida Panther’s Stolarz, Kloke wrote that with him being a backup already (to Sergei Bobrovsky), he might not have a problem partnering with Woll. “He would likely be open to playing in a tandem,” Klore wrote. “Stolarz will very likely hit the market.”
To conclude, Joshua Kloke wrote that Pittsburgh Penguins goalie Nedeljkovic “could be a short-term option before re-loading again in the future,” in a scenario where the goalie market “gets uber-competitive” and the Leafs “get priced out of the other options.”
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