It was a question mark coming into the season and with the week-to-week recovery for Joseph Woll, the Toronto Maple Leafs have an even bigger goaltending question than they did in October.
Ilya Samsonov hasn’t been bad by any means, but he hasn’t exactly exuded confidence for the Maple Leafs either. Through 14 games this season Samsonov is 5-2-5 with a 3.79 goals against average (GAA) and .871 save percentage (SV%). This comes after an above average start to his Maple Leafs’ career in 2022-23 with a 27-10-5 record in 42 games — finishing the season with a 2.33 GAA and .919 SV%.
As for Woll’s fill in, Martin Jones has offered the team some steady play to open his Maple Leafs career. He holds a 4-1-0 record in six games with a 2.79 GAA and .917 SV% and while they fall right in line with his career numbers, the longevity of this option is a major question.
So, with that in mind, are there other options for the Maple Leafs that could provide them with more stability at the position for the remainder of the season? There’s one option — a rumoured target from a previous season — that the Maple Leafs should consider on the trade market before the deadline hits and that’s Minnesota Wild goalie Marc-Andre Fleury.
Maple Leafs Previously Linked to Fleury
It wasn’t that long ago that the Maple Leafs were linked to having interest in the likely future Hall of Famer. During the 2022 NHL trade deadline, reports surfaced that the Maple Leafs and then-general manager Kyle Dubas had been in talks with the Chicago Blackhawks and Kyle Davidson on a trade that would land Fleury and forward Brandon Hagel for multiple first-round picks, Matthew Knies and Petr Mrazek.
The trade ultimately fell apart with Dubas wanting to hold onto Knies and the future picks and while trade details were made public by Davidson, Fleury did eventually note that he would’ve been willing to accept a trade to the Maple Leafs back in 2022.
Fleury was eventually dealt to the Minnesota Wild and consequently signed a two-year deal with the Wild on July 7, 2022, that carries an average annual value of $3.5 million and a no-movement clause.
Fleury Makes Sense For Maple Leafs
In the first year of the deal, Fleury played 46 games with a 24-16-4 record to go along with an average 2.85 GAA and .908 SV%. Numbers-wise, it was one of the worst seasons of his career. This season, he’s taken a bit of a back seat to Filip Gustavsson in Minnesota having played 13 games with a 6-5-2 record. His 3.16 GAA and .892 SV% is more a testament to the Wild’s season, but it certainly isn’t up to Fleury’s standards.
It would come down to Fleury’s approval again, but a change of scenery could be nice for the 39-year-old as his contract expires, especially if it involves a move to a potential contender.
As of now, the Wild are seventh in the Central Division. Only the Blackhawks have a worse record than them in the division. So, the idea of moving Fleury to a team that has a shot to go on a run could be enticing to the veteran goalie.
Fleury would likely still come in and eventually play back-up to Woll when he returns to the Maple Leafs’ lineup, but in the interim the Maple Leafs could use a steadier presence between the pipes than Jones and the open struggles of Samsonov. And given what he’s done over his career, there’s no reason why Fleury couldn’t fill that void. The only question is what the Maple Leafs would have to give up in return for his services.
Maple Leafs Still Can’t Sacrifice Future for Fleury
Let’s face it, their window to win is probably somewhere in the next five years. After all, contracts and salary cap issues have weighed down a promising team on paper to the point of just one series win since 2014.
So, to sacrifice their future once again to potentially land Fleury for the remainder of the season still doesn’t make sense. That said, with his numbers and another season and a half under his belt, the Maple Leafs could likely acquire him for a lesser tab than that of 2022.
Related: Maple Leafs Troubles – Goaltending or Defense
Like 2022, you can mark Knies as unavailable. On top of that Easton Cowan and Fraser Minten are likely off limits. So that leaves players like Ty Voit, Topi Niemela and Alex Steeves as possible options from within their system. Outside of that, the Maple Leafs would likely have to part ways with their early-round picks once again — a position they might not want to be in given their recent lack of picks in the drafts.
Regardless, Brad Treliving and the Maple Leafs need to be in play for a goaltender that can fill in at the starting roll for the time being. Jones had done his job as the bandaid fix, but the market is open and the Maple Leafs need to be shopping. As for Fleury, with his career numbers and postseason experience, he should be atop the Maple Leafs’ shopping list so long as the price isn’t too high.