After their first-round playoff exit and the appointment of a new head coach, the Toronto Maple Leafs staff have shifted fully into offseason mode.

On May 27, Joshua Kloke of The Athletic reported that the front office is now “in roster dissection mode” and is “analyzing everything they have at their disposal.”

Kloke’s report emphasized the Leafs’ need to “acquire a goalie of prominence this offseason.”

“They’re interested in two types of goalies: A starter with a track record of carrying a heavy workload or a cheaper goalie to be paired in a tandem,” Kloke wrote, noting that “the prices and availability of different goalies could, in part, dictate their decision.”

Throughout the 2024 season, Toronto used a three-man rotation in net featuring Ilya Samsonov (40 starts), Joseph Woll (23), and Martin Jones (19). This trio achieved a save percentage of .898, allowed an average of 3.01 goals per game, and combined for 46 wins.

Woll, a young netminder turning 26, has only played 36 NHL games over three seasons (4 starts in 2022, 7 in 2023, and 23 as a starter in 2024).

According to Spotrac, Samsonov and Jones are pending unrestricted free agents.

Maple Leafs’ Trade Targets for the No. 1 Goalie Role

Given that goalies take the longest to turn pro post-draft and Toronto holds the No. 23 pick in the 2024 draft, drafting a goalie is not a viable option.

This leaves the Maple Leafs with two paths to solve their goaltending issues: trading for a goalie or signing one in free agency.

“Jacob Markstrom (who has a No-Move Clause) and Juuse Saros make some sense as trade targets,” Kloke wrote. “Their respective teams, the Calgary Flames and Nashville Predators, aren’t in a position to contend immediately and each have younger goalies.”

Kloke includes Markstrom and Saros as the highest-profile goalies available for trade. Additionally, the Boston Bruins might actively try to move Linus Ullmark in the offseason.

However, Kloke pointed out that the Bruins, being in the same division as the Leafs, could create a roadblock for a deal.

“Acquiring notable pieces from within your own division is a difficult proposition for any NHL team. But that shouldn’t prevent Treliving from understanding the cost of acquiring Linus Ullmark from the Bruins,” Kloke wrote.

Kloke concluded that pursuing a trade for a top-tier goalie will depend on how many assets the Leafs are willing to part with.

“The pieces that will need to be shipped out to acquire any of the high-profile goalies won’t be insignificant,” Kloke wrote. “We’re talking big risk and (potentially) big reward when it comes to the starting goalie position.”

Free Agents to Play 1B to Joseph Woll’s 1A Role

Alternatively, the Leafs could find a cheaper option in the free-agent market, paying for whoever is available instead of giving up assets in a trade.

Kloke believes that “signing a goalie to share the load with Woll could provide close to comparable results as a true starter might.”

Moreover, Kloke thinks signing a free agent would “reduce the risk that comes with being locked into a longer deal,” mentioning Laurent Brossoit, Anthony Stolarz, and Alex Nedeljkovic as the best goalies “deserving consideration as UFAs.”

Kloke thinks that if the Leafs want to land Brossoit, they will need to give him more than 23 starts next season. One way to accomplish that would be to let Samsonov (and Jones) go.

“It’s believed Brossoit would prefer to sign with a team that can offer a step up from the 23 games he played in Winnipeg this season,” Kloke wrote.

Regarding Florida Panther’s Stolarz, Kloke wrote that being a backup already (to Sergei Bobrovsky), he might not have a problem partnering with Woll. “He would likely be open to playing in a tandem,” Kloke wrote. “Stolarz will very likely hit the market.”

To conclude, Joshua Kloke wrote that Pittsburgh Penguins goalie Nedeljkovic “could be a short-term option before re-loading again in the future,” in a scenario where the goalie market “gets uber-competitive” and the Leafs “get priced out of the other options.”