Something Has to Give: Maple Leafs to Make Goaltending Decision

The Toronto Maple Leafs have quietly created a logjam in net—and as one insider suggests, something has to give.

According to Sportsnet’s Luke Fox, the Maple Leafs now have four goaltenders under contract for at least the next two seasons after signing Artur Akhtyamov. He joins Anthony Stolarz, Joseph Woll, and Dennis Hildeby in a crowded crease situation that simply isn’t sustainable long-term.

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Carrying more than two NHL-caliber goalies presents challenges, particularly when it comes to roster flexibility and waiver risk. To carry three or four makes for a complicated situation. It’s a situation that reportedly led to trade chatter involving both Woll and Stolarz ahead of the March deadline, though no move ultimately materialized.

Fox writes:

“The Maple Leafs have four promising goalies locked up through 2027-28 at reasonable — and potentially bargain — salaries. Yet they only have one net to tend. Something’s gotta give, eventually.”

The good news for GM Brad Treliving is that he doesn’t have to rush this decision, and he’ll have a little leverage as he decides which goaltender to shop. With a thin free-agent market for netminders, teams in need of help between the pipes may be forced to explore trades—potentially driving up interest in the Leafs goalies. Fox writes, “That should fuel trade interest in Stolarz and Woll. The former has a 16-team no-trade list in Year 1 of his deal; the latter has no say.”

Who Are the Maple Leafs Most Likely to Trade?

Woll and Hildeby may be the easiest pieces to move. Both are on team-friendly deals and lack trade protection. Stolarz, meanwhile, is a more complicated, given that his four-year extension kicks in July 1 and includes a 16-team no-trade clause, limiting Toronto’s flexibility.

As the offseason approaches, the Maple Leafs will likely look to the NHL Draft as their first real opportunity to make a trade.

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