REPORT: Toronto Maple Leafs linked to Cup winning goalie via TRADE
The Toronto Maple Leafs went into the offseason with one major need and that was goaltending. They made a trade to bring in Matt Murray from the Ottawa Senators and signed Washington Capitals castoff Ilya Samsonov in free agency to fill that void.
Matt Murray injured himself in practice after playing one game, and Samsonov began to run away with the starting role. He is 8-2-0 in his 10 starts and has a .921 save percentage and 2.23 goals against average.
Unfortunately for Samsonov and the Maple Leafs though, Samsonov injured his knee the other night on a Brad Marchand penalty shot and it seems he will be out awhile.
Currently the Maple Leafs goaltending tandem is Erik Kallgren and Keith Petruzzelli. This is not ideal for a team that is believed to be a cup contender, and apparently the Maple Leafs General Manager Kyle Dubas does not believe so either as he is being linked to a champion goaltender in the Western Conference.
According to NHL Insider Frank Seravalli, the Maple Leafs are focusing their attention on Jonathan Quick from the LA Kings.
Jonathan Quick the two-time Stanley Cup winner and lifelong Los Angeles King is closing in on 750 games with the franchise. He was excellent last season with a .910 save percentage in a big bounce back year. Quick has probably been a little better this season than his overall numbers would indicate, posting a career-high save percentage (small sample size) against high-danger scoring chances. Would the Kings move him? The complicating factor is Cal Petersen has really struggled to find his game these last two seasons � and he's in the first year of a $15 million contract. If Petersen and Phoenix Copley, one of the better third goalies out there, could carry the ball � then it's a possibility. Kyle Dubas and Rob Blake have made deals before. Quick has the pedigree and he wants to win. He is the ultimate competitor. Quick does not have any no-trade protection, but he might be able to get a good lay of the land from his brother-in-law, Maple Leafs pro scout Matt Moulson. What would Quick cost? That's the interesting question. Would Nick Robertson and a third-round pick get it done? Would that be enough to entice the Kings to move one of their franchise pillars in a year with increased expectations? Maybe not.
| POLL | ||
Should the Leafs trade for Quick? | ||
| yes | 164 | 48.8 % |
| no | 172 | 51.2 % |
| List of polls | ||
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