Friedman release official statement on maple leafs goaltending market

Friedman: ” I in all actuality do accept that Toronto has plunged its toes in the goaltending market”

We’re 31 games into the Toronto Maple Leafs’ 2023-24 season, and its an obvious fact that goaltending has been one of the fundamental subjects of discussion, particularly over the most recent few weeks.

Ilya Samsonov, who has struggled all season, and 33-year-old Martin Jones, who was signed as a free agent during the off-season, make up the Maple Leafs’ goalie tandem at the moment. Joseph Woll is currently sidelined week-to-week due to a high-ankle sprain that he sustained in a game against the Ottawa Senators.

It is evident from the numbers that Samsonov has struggled greatly with his play. With Woll still out with an injury, does Toronto want to continue using Martin Jones and Samsonov, who has a 3.79 GAA and a.871 SV%? I’m not excessively certain.

Saturday night, during the second interlude of the Maple Leafs and Blue Coats game, Elliotte Friedman’s Saturday’s Titles incorporated some Toronto Maple Leafs bits of hearsay, explicitly, goaltending tales. The Sportsnet insider referenced that he accepts the Maple Leafs have stuck their head into the goaltending market, given their ongoing circumstance with their goalies.

“I in all actuality do accept that Toronto has plunged its toes in the goaltending market. When the holiday freeze ends, I don’t think anything will happen. They keep working with Samsonov, I believe, in the hope that he gets a few days off. Obviously, they don’t have Joseph Woll this moment, he’s harmed, and I don’t think they think bringing their AHL goalie, Dennis Hildeby, up is the legitimate thing to do at the present time, despite the fact that he is truly skilled and looks great.”

Simply perusing that statement from Friedman affirms that hit 22-year-old Dennis Hildeby up to the NHL after only 15 games in North America is undoubtedly not the best thing to do. The organization must permit the native of Jarfalla to continue playing and developing in the AHL. He is as of now 7-4-2 with the Toronto Marlies and has a noteworthy 2.08 GAA and .921 SV% this season.

The group either needs to keep on moving with Martin Jones and Ilya Samsonov (providing Jones with most of the beginnings) or gain a goalie with Woll actually sidelined with his physical issue. The NHL is in their vacation freeze, so no exchanges or exchanges can occur until after December 27th.

Suppose Toronto was to go out and obtain a goalie. Who is even accessible, and what amount could it cost? Indeed, Friedman followed up that statement above with another in regards to the groups that are conveying additional goalies.

“The other thing that I’m listening to there, Ron, is that the groups that have the goaltending excess… they know it, and what they’re requesting is a great deal, particularly in the event that maintenance is involved. I simply believe that this multitude of groups over here searching for goaltenders observe that they’re being blackmailed a smidgen.”

The groups that strike a chord immediately that have an excess of goaltenders are the Montreal Canadiens, Philadelphia Flyers, Carolina Typhoons (despite the fact that they are having goaltending battles likewise) and Bison Sabers, to give some examples. If a team needs to make a trade this early in the season with the trade deadline still more than two months away, their asking price will likely be high because they know other teams are desperate for saves.

It’s yet to be checked whether Toronto will follow up on this talk that Friedman dropped during the second break of the Maple Leafs game Saturday night, yet if they somehow happened to go out and obtain a goaltender, speculatively talking, who might you believe they should get?

Would they waive or trade Samsonov or place Jones on waivers like they did at the beginning of the season if they were to acquire someone and Woll returns? It’ll be fascinating to see what they do.