In order to have success in the NFL one could say it needs to come from the play of your quarterback. In the same way one could say that it is more likely you will have success in the NHL because of the play of your goaltender.
The situation with the Toronto Maple Leafs goalies has now become the highlight of the Maple Leafs’ concerns since we have past the firing of Ron Wilson. It is a tough situation, isn’t it? It is hard to say what Brian Burke will do this off-season with his goalie tandem. Neither James Reimer nor Jonas Gustavsson has showed any long term viable signs of being a consistent goalie, let alone a #1 NHL goalie.
I think it is certain that Brian Burke will not get rid of both goalies. Though it would not be smart in my opinion to keep both Reimer and Gustavsson entering next season, therefore one player needs to go. Brian Burke had already shown in an earlier statement made before the NHL trade deadline that he will not be trading Reimer, he believe in this kid. That leaves us with Gustavsson who becomes a UFA this off-season.
It have been a bit strange that new Head Coach Randy Carlyle has been starting Gustavsson since he arrived. The only reason that I could think of is that Brian Burke could potentially want to trade the rights to Gustavsson before this year’s NHL draft. Though unless Gustavsson is traded in a package deal, I could not see a team paying no more than a 3rd round prospect pick, if that.
So let’s say Gustavsson does goe, who does Brian Burke put in his place. Now I am not going to play the trading game and speculate which goalies could potentially be traded this off-season. But as I look at the available player’s who turn UFA this summer, the goalies who I think Burke could be going after are players such as Tomas Vokoun, Ray Emery, Josh Harding and Evgeni Nabokov.
Source – http://www.thestar.com/sports/leafs/article/1137765–maple-leafs-gm-brian-burke-gives-vote-of-confidence-to-reimer-schenn-and-grabovski
Rant Sports Toronto Maple Leafs Feature Writer
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