Following the first few trades of the NHL offseason involving goaltenders and the report speaking of the Toronto Maple Leafs signing their current goalie Joseph Woll to an extension, the future in Toronto’s net is starting to look much clearer.
In a span of a few days, the New Jersey Devils traded for Calgary Flames‘ Jacob Markstrom and the Ottawa Senators acquired Linus Ullmark from the Boston Bruins.
Then NHL insider Kevin Weekes reported on June 24 that the Maple Leafs are “closing in” on an extension for Woll.
“I’m told the Maple Leafs are closing in on 3Yr Contract Extension (July 1st) for G Woll in the neighborhood between $3.5M – $4M AAV,” Weekes reported on X. Woll is eligible to sign said extension on July 1, once the new league year starts.
With the Leasf paying more than $3 million to Woll and the best available goaltenders in the trade market already off of it, it’s fair to guess the Leafs could entertain adding a backup-caliber goaltender to play 1B to Woll’s 1A role next season.
Maple Leafs’ Options In Goalie-Free Agency Aren’t Great
The Maple Leafs need to sign a new goaltender ahead of the 2024-25 season no matter the talent he brings with him. Even after signing Woll to an extension, Toronto doesn’t have any other goalie under contract entering the offseason.
Woll went 12-11-1 in 2024 with a 2.94 goals-against average and a .907 save percentage. The netminder posted a 2-0 record in the playoffs with a 0.86 GAA and a .964 SV%. He suffered an injury and was replaced on net midway through the first-round series against the Boston Bruins.
According to Jonas Siegel of The Athletic, the Leafs should entertain the idea of chasing the No. 1 upcoming unrestricted free agent in Los Angeles Kings‘ Cam Talbot. The Kings traded for Darcy Kuemper on June 19, which could mean they will let Talbot go in free agency.
“One I’ve been wondering more and more about for the Leafs is Cam Talbot. Now, would a Woll-Talbot twosome feel like an awesome outcome for the Leafs? Not exactly,” Siegel wrote on June 20.
Outside of trying to sign Talbot, there aren’t many more options worth chasing in free agency. The list includes players such as Laurent Brossoit, Anthony Stolarz, Kevin Lankinen, Alex Nedeljkovic, and Scott Wedgewood, but not many more outside of that.
Looking at Spotract list of upcoming free agents at the goaltender position, Matthew Murray (who played for the Leafs in 2024) leads the way with the highest cap hit at $6.25 million.
Fellow Leafs netminder Ilya Samsonov ranks second among unrestricted free agents, and Seattle Kraken‘s Chris Driedger follows him coming off a season earning $3.5 million.
Is Trading For A Starter Still an Option for Toronto?
Paying Woll north of $3 million per year starting in the 2025-26 season will probably give pause to Toronto when it comes to adding more high-salary players in net.
Chris Johnston of The Athletic crafted a “Trade big board” on June 20 ranking all players he believes to be available for trades entering the offseason. He ranked five goalies but one of them (former Bruins netminder Linus Ullmark) has already been traded.
Among the other four, only Filip Gustavsson ($3.75 million) of the Minnesota Wild is earning fewer than $5 million per year. Anaheim Ducks’ John Gibson earns $6.4 million, Nashville Predators‘ Juuse Saros earns $5 million, and Edmonton Oilers‘ Jack Campbell earns $5 million too.
James Mirtle of The Athletic linked the Leafs to Winnipeg Jets’ Brossoit and Florida Panthers‘ Stolarz as potential free-agent targets, but he didn’t consider trading for a goalie.
Sportsnet’s Elliott Friedman reported on June 22 that Toronto actually tried to trade for Markstrom before he went to New Jersey.
“I heard (Toronto’s) offer to Calgary was comparable to New Jersey’s,” Friedman said, “But I think because of the politics there, I think Toronto was going to have to blow anyone else out of the water to get that player.”
Even if the Leafs explored the trade market, and considering both the lack of available options and Friedman’s mention of “the politics,” it will make sense for the Leafs to explore signing a low-price free agent to complement Woll rather than overpaying in a trade.
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