Toronto Maple Leafs lose both Curtis McElhinney and Calvin Pickard to waivers

The Toronto Maple Leafs have lost both Curtis McElhinney and Calvin Pickard to the Carolina Hurricanes and Philadelphia Flyers on waivers.

The Toronto Maple Leafs took a chance placing Curtis McElhinney and Calvin Pickard on waivers after naming Garret Sparks the team’s backup behind Frederik Andersen and it didn’t work in their favour.

Unfortunately, both did not pass through waivers with McElhinney going to the Columbus Blue Jackets and Pickard going to the Philadelphia Flyers.

Sparks was preferred over McElhinney after winning the Baz Bastien Memorial Award as the best goaltender in the AHL last season – leading the team to their first Calder Cup in franchise history.

McElhinney joins a Hurricanes team in desperate need of goalie depth after starter Scott Darling suffered a lower-body injury and is expected to miss a couple of weeks.

The 35-year-old veteran performed exceptionally when called upon by the Leafs last season, playing in 18 regular season games – with 2.15 goals against on average and a sturdy .934 save percentage.

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McElhinney’s performances for the Leafs earned him the role as one of Canada’s starter between the pipes for the World Championships this year – posting an impressive .936 save percentage and seeing just 1.48 goals against on average.

Some Leafs fans were disappointed to see the team choose Sparks over McElhinney, but the 35-year-old is unlikely to match the solid performances he had last season for much longer and Sparks, at 25, deserves a chance to prove himself at the top level.

Pickard, meanwhile, performed well for the Toronto Marlies during their run to the Calder Cup and could’ve looked to battle for the starting role if he had passed through waivers.

He posted a .918 save percentage and just 2.31 goals against average in 33 AHL games last season, and now joins a Flyers team that also has some questions in net.

Philadelphia have Brian Elliott and Michal Neuvirth set as their tandem currently, but Pickard could find himself pushing for a backup role if the team does not get steady performances from the pair and Neuvirth’s lower-body injury continues to keep him off the ice.

The loss of two veteran goalies will be disappointing from a depth perspective, but it now effectively gives Kasimir Kaskisuo the opportunity to be the starter for the Marlies – with the Finn having already spent a year competing for a role with the Chicago Wolves.

It does now also leave the question of who the team’s AHL backup will be, with Justin Peters currently with the team on a try-out and the logical choice to receive an AHL contract.

Leafs Nation, what do you think of this latest development? Are you disappointed to see both goaltenders lost to waivers? What are your thoughts on Kaskisuo as the Marlies’ starter? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below!