Add the Toronto Maple Leafs to a list of a handful of teams that are looking for NHL goaltending help. According to NHL insider Elliotte Friedman , the Leafs know they need help and GM Brad Treliving is starting to look around to see if he can find it. The goaltending market does have options. The trick is, will the price be too prohibitive to make a move?
As Friedman noted in the Saturday Headlines report, teams with the goaltenders to spare aren’t making it easy. The prices are high and that could force Toronto into making a decision it’s not entirely comfortable with.
Friedman explained:
“I do believe that Toronto has dipped its toes into the goaltending market I don’t expect anything to happen right when the freeze ends I think their hope is that [Ilya] Samsonov just gets a few days away and they continue to work with him.”
He adds:
“Of course, they don’t have Joseph Woll right now, he’s injured. And I don’t think the believe bringing their American Hockey League goaltender Dennis Hildeby up is the proper thing to do right now, even though he’s really talented and looks really good.”
Maple Leafs Need Goaltending, But are Being Extorted
“The other thing I’m hearing right now is that the teams that have the goaltending surplus, they now it, and what they’re asking for is a lot, especially if retention is involved and I just think all these teams out here that are looking for goaltenders just find that they’re being extorted a little bit.”
The Montreal Canadiens, Columbus Blue Jackets and Detroit Red Wings are among the clubs with an extra netminder and would likely be willing to make a deal. The Canadiens are the most ready to ship someone out, but the prices to land Jake Allen or Cayden Primeau are probably more than a team like Toronto wants to pay.