Not that there’s any guarantees in pro sports but it would be downright shocking if Joseph Woll didn’t crack the Toronto Maple Leafs opening night roster.
With that in mind, I think the organization is living in a fantasy world if they’re banking on the Samsonov/Woll tandem staying intact for the duration of the season.
Firstly, there’s the whole the injury thing. Whether anyone wants to admit it or not, the NHL has a goaltending problem. They just can’t stay healthy. I mean, having a quick look at the number of goalies that the Leafs have rostered in just the past five to seven seasons alone will give you a good indication of where things are at. It’s ridiculous. But as mentioned, it’s a league-wide issue, not just a Toronto one.
Furthermore, I know there’s the whole salary cap thing, but I think teams are nuts if they’re not at least preparing themselves for the inevitable. On that front, the Leafs deserve a lot of credit. In the offseason, they went out and signed veteran netminder Martin Jones to effectively be their third-string guy in case something happens to their other two guys. That said, believe it or not, it’s far from a lock that that will come to fruition. That’s because Jones will need to go through waivers before the start of the regular season. As mentioned, considering the volatility surrounding the position, the Leafs will need to be strategic with how they conduct business here. Suffice it is to say, Brad Treliving and company will be hard at work over the next week or so trying to manoeuvre their way through this. It will be difficult.
Any way you slice it, Toronto needs to find a way to make sure they have insurance in between the pipes. The Joseph Woll success story is a great one, but considering he has just 11 NHL appearances to his name, there’s no guarantee everything will go according to plan. Suffice it is to say, the Jones signing could end up proving to be pivotal one.
Simply put, Toronto needs to find a way to cover its basis —easier said than done, of course.
