Goalie Impressive Performance Fuels Trade Rumors for Toronto Maple Leafs

No one is talking about the Toronto Maple Leafs this season, but goaltender Joseph Woll’s recent play could spark rumors of a six-game trade in the 2023-24 season.

What makes the conversation so interesting is that it’s been a while since the Maple Leafs have been able to say they have a goaltender “who has the ability to take over as a starter and fill that role well.” For Woll, the organization invested time in the product and it appears to have paid off, albeit with a small sample size.

But like in Toronto, Wall discussed a potential goaltending move this offseason, using terms like the “Emperor controversy” outside the organization.
What did Joseph Wall like?

Let’s be honest, after 14 games into his NHL career, his numbers are staggering.
Don’t forget he’s only 14 games into his NHL career.
Still, 11-3-0, a 2.19 goals against average (GAA) and a .931 save percentage (SV%) are enough numbers to get anyone talking, especially for a team with such a long history.
success. Mediocrity online.
This season, Wall is off to an impressive 2-1-0 start through three games, including a strong performance against the Tampa Bay Lightning, stopping all 29 shots he faced and an outstanding effort against the Washington Capitals.
consolation.
Only one goal was scored in almost 40 shots.

That explains the 1.44 GAA and .958 SV% to start the campaign.
That’s good enough to put him in the league’s top 10 in both categories.
In fact, the 25-year-old is the NHL’s top-rated player in goals scored this season despite ranking sixth in scoring average and 52nd in scoring average (4.18) at the time of writing this article.
It held at 2.74, higher than expected.

The Maple Leafs didn’t expect this from Wall at the start of the season or anytime soon.
While this win is a good deal for the Maple Leafs, it also opens up the discussion of what to do with Ilya Samsonov.

As mentioned in the video, there’s a reason the Maple Leafs aren’t interested in signing Samsonov long-term this offseason, and their interest in Wall’s future could be that.
The Maple Leafs still have options.

Remember, the Maple Leafs season is only six games long.
Talk of a goalie change may be appropriate, but that doesn’t mean it’s premature.
The NHL has become a league where teams benefit from platoon goalies. Many of the league’s best goaltenders don’t benefit from the work as much as they used to.
As THW’s Peter Baracchini said on a recent episode of the Sticks on the 6ix podcast, the Maple Leafs would benefit from having Samsonov and Wall at their best this season.
Trading may not be the answer.

Sure, the Maple Leafs have Martin Jones in the AHL, who could help if they move on from Samsonov, but who’s to say there won’t be an injury situation that could require a third goaltender?
Samsonov’s slow start isn’t what the Maple Leafs expected when they entered arbitration with him this offseason, but as the season progresses, we’re seeing more depth on Wall, which could give Samsonov a boost.

Either way, the Maple Leafs need to look at what they have and figure out where they want to go.
One path leads to starter Samsonov and the other leads to Wall, but the team could also split time to continue Wall’s development.
Ultimately, this will be seen as mutually beneficial to Wall’s development and the team’s overall success.
Ultimately, it is true that this will become a matter of debate at some point.
It happened a lot faster than anyone thought, and now Wall, a 2016 third-round pick, is forcing the hand of the team that drafted him.
Will Samsonov and Wall be Maple Leafs by the end of the season?

There are no easy answers here.
The Maple Leafs’ trade market and cap situation could affect the likelihood of a Samsonov move. On one side of the coin, this opens up more room for the team financially and weakens the team given what we saw from Samsonov last season.
The reason I’m sticking with the Maple Leafs duo this season is because Samsonov is his own worst critic.
He’s not shy about taking possession when his game isn’t where it needs to be to help the Maple Leafs win, which could be an honorable trait for a young goaltender.

That said, we had Adin Hill come out of nowhere last season and help the Vegas Golden Knights win the Stanley Cup.
Some people wonder if the Maple Leafs could manipulate the goalie market to fill the void if they trade Samsonov.

Ezoic

As I said, there are no easy answers here.
Just by intuition, Samsonov will produce the level of play we saw in 2022/2023 without increasing his average throughout the season. If that’s the case, the Maple Leafs should consider keeping both with hopes of getting five games into the second round of this year’s playoffs.