With the NHL Draft over and Free Agency not far off, there are lots of emerging NHL rumours. Teams are looking at how they can acquire assets for a rebuild, or get great players to help their playoff chances. One such rumour involves the Toronto Maple Leafs searching for a new goalie.
Toronto Maple Leafs Looking to Add Another Goalie
Rumour: The Toronto Maple Leafs are going to continue to search for another goalie. They will need to come with a good price tag. This will provide the Leafs with another option in net.
Leafs will keep looking for another goalie option as well. Someone with a reasonable price tag.
— Pierre LeBrun (@PierreVLeBrun) July 12, 2022
Analysis: The Toronto Maple Leafs just traded for Matt Murray from the Ottawa Senators. This seems to point towards the team moving on from Jack Campbell. However, going all-in on Murray is a risky bet. While he played significantly better in 2021-22 than 2020-21, he faced a number of injury issues.
🚨#TradeCentre ALERT🚨: Maple Leafs acquire G Matt Murray, a 2023 3rd-Round Pick & a 2024 7th-Round Pick from the Senators for future considerations…
Follow every deal in our Trade Tracker – https://t.co/lTl9gr0T6Z#TSNHockey pic.twitter.com/7cXMeBpwT6
— TSN Hockey (@TSNHockey) July 12, 2022
The Leafs traded Petr Mrazek at the draft, and are now left with just Joseph Woll or Erik Kallgren as a backup. While they could turn into fine backups this season, they are unproven goalies at the NHL level. With Murray’s inconsistent play and the recent slew of injuries he’s faced, it would be unwise to go in with an unproven goalie as a backup.
The Leafs will need to look at acquiring a goalie that can shoulder some of the weight should Murray struggle or face injury. Players that are available via free agency that fit this role could be Kevin Lankinen or Jaroslav Halak. Ilya Samsonov was also not extended a qualifying offer, making him a UFA. There are a number of decent backup options for the Leafs to look at now that they have seemingly decided on Murray as their starter.
With the cap space being tight, the Leafs will need to be smart with who they add. There are options that wouldn’t have been suitable starters, that now become available to the Leafs to bring in.
