Maple Leafs Rumors: 3 Goaltending Options To Consider

The two goaltenders that the Toronto Maple Leafs began the season with are currently out of the picture, leaving only third-stringer Martin Jones to hold the fort. No. 1 Starter Joseph Woll is still out for several more weeks due to injury, while Ilya Samsonov has just been put on waivers, and if he clears, will be headed down to the AHL.

The Leafs are obviously going to have to make a move. And quick. Let’s take a look at three options the team can consider going forward:

1. The most likely immediate scenario involves calling up 22-year-old Dennis Hildeby from the Toronto Marlies, as indicated by insider Elliotte Friedman on Hockey Night in Canada on Saturday night. The highly-regarded goaltending prospect has posted a 7-5-2 mark with a .920 save percentage so far this season.

Elliotte Friedman speculates that Dennis Hildeby could join the LEafs on their West Coast Trip.
Here are some Dennis Hildeby Saves that I've compiled pic.twitter.com/x2knPNGjYd
— Rink Rat Report (@RinkRatReport) December 31, 2023

2. They could, as suggested by Luke Fox of Sportsnet, sign 38-year-old free agent Jaroslav Halak and give him a shot. The Carolina Hurricanes brought Halak in on a PTO back in November, but his tryout lasted just a couple of weeks before he was released. Last year, in 24 starts as a backup with the New York Rangers, he posted a respectable 2.72 goals against and .903 save percentage.

3. Sticking with the Rangers, career minor leaguer Louis Domingue is having a fine year down in the AHL with the Hartford Wolf Pack (9-2-2, 2.44 GAA, .913 Sv%), and had one spectacular start with the big club earlier this season stopping 25 of 26 shots. Perhaps, as again suggested by Fox, they could work out a minor trade with New York to bring in the 31-year-old.

Of course, there are several other names out there available on the trade market, as have been speculated upon over the last couple of months, but the Leafs would have to outbid several other teams who are also in the goaltending market, and those options might be a little more difficult to pull off.

Photo: Nick Turchiaro-USA TODAY Sports