Goaltender Curtis McElhinney has signed a two-year, $1.7 million extension with the Toronto Maple Leafs. He carries a cap hit of $850,000.
Curtis McElhinney Signs with the Toronto Maple Leafs
McElhinney had spent the last five years in the Columbus organization before being claimed off of waivers by the Toronto Maple Leafs on January 10.
Over his career, the 34-year-old has been lacklustre in the National Hockey League. In 168 games over a nine-year span with the Calgary Flames, Anaheim Ducks, Ottawa Senators, Phoenix Coyotes, Columbus Blue Jackets, and Toronto Maple Leafs, McElhinney has a 2.95 goals-against average and a .905 SV%.
2015-16 was one of the worst statistical years of his career. Backing up Sergei Bobrovsky, McElhinney had an appalling 3.30 GAA and a .890 SV% in 18 games. As such, Columbus began to look to their younger options in goal during 2016-17. Joonas Korpisalo and Anton Forsberg both got playing time, although McElhinney started well.
In seven games with Columbus last year, the native of London, Ontario posted an impressive 2.39 GAA and a .924 SV%. With two young goalies ready to go, however, Columbus placed the veteran on waivers to clear some room.
He was subsequently claimed by the backup-starved Maple Leafs, where he would play out the year. A big help to a Toronto team in desperate need of a consistent backup to make the playoffs, McElhinney had a mediocre 2.85 GAA and a .914 SV% in 14 games. However, it was McElhinney’s ability to come in late in the season for an injured Frederik Andersen that brought Toronto back to the postseason for the first time since the lockout-shortened 2012-13 season.
However, don’t expect Curtis McElhinney to be saving your season. If his career numbers are to be believed, the Leafs could be in for a disappointment. Last year, although good in his usual backup role, was an outlier in an overall average to subpar career. A career .904 SV% in 168 games should be enough to warn a buyer.
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