The Toronto Maple Leafs have no less than one key query for the offseason: Who ought to they aim for goaltending assist for Joseph Woll subsequent season? In a current The Jeff Marek Present episode, Luke Fox joined Matt Marchese to debate the goaltending puzzle going through the Maple Leafs. The dialogue targeted on a number of potential targets, together with Juuse Saros, Laurent Brossoit, and Anthony Stolarz.

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Final week, I mentioned three Maple Leafs goalie choices. I landed on Chris Driedger as the only option between Cam Talbot and Stolarz. Whereas each Fox and Marchese point out Talbot and Stolarz, their dialogue additional dissected the present state of affairs, specializing in Woll’s harm standing and the need for a dependable third goalie like Martin Jones. Right here, they provide further insights concerning the context and the intricacies of the crew’s wants. This publish compares their viewpoints about potential options for the Maple Leafs’ goaltending dilemma.

Every goalie talked about within the video is engaging, however which one—if any—will the Maple Leafs pursue to bolster their goalie roster?

The Key Goalie Dialogue Factors for Fox and Marchese

Throughout their dialogue on the video, Fox and Marchese explored potential goalies who may match the Maple Leafs’ wants. Three names particularly emerged – Saros, Brossoit, and Stolarz.

First, Saros is seen as a big goal who can be a very good acquisition for the crew. That stated, buying him would possible contain a hefty commerce package deal. Though the Nashville Predators appear decided to maintain him on their roster, there’s a perception {that a} substantial supply may change their minds. Nevertheless, are the Maple Leafs keen to make that provide?

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Brossoit, the second goalie talked about, was additionally thought-about a stable choice. Nevertheless, the knock on him is that he hasn’t performed sufficient video games to show himself as something greater than a extremely good backup goalie. And that raised the query of whether or not the Maple Leafs may rely on Woll because the crew’s starter. The reality is that Woll has a powerful resume from his NHL work. Nevertheless, he hasn’t performed sufficient video games to show himself because the go-to starter.

Third, Stolarz had a decent season with the Florida Panthers. Nevertheless, he performed behind the NHL’s greatest defence, which leaves uncertainty about how he’d carry out behind Toronto’s much less highly effective defence.

Joseph Woll’s Unsure Future Suggests a Path Ahead

The most important problem for the Maple Leafs is the uncertainty surrounding Woll’s well being. Regardless of exhibiting nice promise, his harm historical past casts doubt on his reliability. In the course of the video dialogue, this level led to the consensus that Toronto wanted a goalie with in depth beginning expertise. If Woll goes down once more, as he did in Sport 7 of the first-round collection in opposition to the Boston Bruins this previous postseason, who would deal with many of the video games? His potential for harm setbacks complicates the crew’s determination.

At that time, the dialog turned to the Maple Leafs’ success this season with third-stringer Jones. Fox famous that the crew wants an skilled third goalie like him in 2024-25. The dialog highlighted this season’s significance of getting a reliable third-string goalie when each Woll and Samsonov had been unavailable. Re-signing Jones or discovering the same veteran presence for a minimal price may very well be a strategic transfer.

Have the Maple Leafs Already Missed Goalie Alternatives?

Fox was involved that the Maple Leafs may need missed a number of prime goalie targets. One he famous was former Bruins goalie Linus Ullmark, who has already discovered a brand new dwelling in Ottawa with the Senators. This narrows down the viable choices in commerce and free-agent markets.

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In all this dialog, Fox outlined what he noticed because the Maple Leafs’ actual dilemma: balancing the necessity for a dependable beginning goaltender with the monetary constraints and uncertainty surrounding Woll’s sturdiness. The Maple Leafs entrance workplace faces a difficult process with restricted cap area and excessive commerce prices. They need to work to safe a goalie who can’t solely share the workload with Woll but in addition step up as a major starter if vital.

The dialogue on The Jeff Marek Present underscored Toronto’s complicated state of affairs in its quest to solidify its goaltending. Whether or not by means of high-stakes trades or strategic signings, the crew’s selections within the coming weeks shall be pivotal for his or her success subsequent season.