Leafs’ front office decides to gamble in goal

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How do you define a Stanley Cup contender?

There is no single answer to the question. In fact, ask a hundred people, and I bet you get a hundred different answers.

We understand the core tenets of what differentiates a team to the upside: strong goaltending, star talent, depth competency, and a blueline that can play both ways are all staples of modern contenders. If you check three of those boxes, you are a Cup contender. Four? You’re the odds-on favorite.

The Toronto Maple Leafs have the star talent, indisputably. The blueline is much improved from where it was a few years ago, and that was before the acquisition of veteran defenceman Mark Giordano just ahead of the trade deadline.

The team also has depth: Toronto’s goal differential with Auston Matthews and the first line off ice this year is 98 goals for, 98 goals against. Said differently: Toronto’s depth forwards aren’t hurting the team, and considering how much the team has invested at the very top of the lineup, that’s a considerable achievement.

That brings us to goaltending. Oh, the goaltending. It’s been dreadful in recent months in Toronto, the exact type of scare the Maple Leafs did not need entering the playoff fray.

There was hope that Jack Campbell could commandeer the starter’s net long term; there was similar hope that Petr Mrazek’s game could be resurrected. Now you have depth options like Erik Kallgren getting regular starts. That’s why Toronto was rumoured to be in the mix for Marc-Andre Fleury’s services at the deadline. Ultimately, Toronto passed on further investment.

The reasons for not bringing in a goaltender are multi-faceted. There were few options available, and the options that were available weren’t cheap – Fleury, for