3 Goalies the Toronto Maple Leafs should pursue at NHL Trade Deadline

If the Toronto Maple Leafs decide they need to make a deal for a goaltender ahead of the NHL trade deadline, these should be the players to target.

Going into the season, it was hard to imagine the Toronto Maple Leafs being in a position where they had to seriously consider trading for a goaltender.

Even before the calendar flipped to 2022, this was not something on anybody’s radar but given how the last month has gone, you have to think Kyle Dubas has been making calls. Given the position the Leafs are in, Dubas can’t let their goaltending situation be the reason the team falls short of their goals this season.

While the team should be making it a priority to improve the blue line by trading for a defenceman, it might not mean anything if the team’s goaltending falters. Considering the Leafs currently sit 23rd in the NHL with a .905 sv% team save percentage right now, there is definitely room for improvement.

There has been a lot of discussion around Marc-André Fleury being a trade target for the Leafs and it makes sense given the experience he provides. However, unless he is on board with a trade to Toronto and the Chicago Blackhawks are willing to take back salary or take Petr Mrazek back in a potential deal, it’s going to be tough to pull off.

So if Fleury is not going to be a possibility, here are other players the team could look to trade for.

Try and convince the Ottawa Senators to trade Anton Forsberg

Pierre Dorion said it was likely that Anton Forsberg would stay with the Ottawa Senators past the NHL trade deadline and we can understand why the GM would say that.

Teams know that Ottawa has to make a decision with their goaltending going into next season as they have Matt Murray and Filip Gustavsson signed. The interesting wrinkle is that Gustavsson will be on a one-way deal and is no longer waiver exempt.

So what do the Senators gain by keeping Forsberg around? Considering he is an unrestricted free agent, Forsberg would definitely want to maximize what he can get on the open market and Ottawa won’t be able to give him that commitment.

Unfortunately, by staying with the Senators, Forsberg won’t be able to showcase himself on a contending team. So, maybe, this is Ottawa’s plan to entice teams to make serious offers for Forsberg.

He is having a strong season with the Senators where he has a 2.70 GAA and a .921 sv% and he has been even better since Jan. 1 going a 6-5-1 record with a .933 sv% and a 2.26 GAA. Some in Ottawa believe the team should see what Gustavsson and Mads Sogaard can do in the AHL playoffs before making a final determination on Forsberg.

If the Leafs are serious about getting a goalie, Dubas should be calling Dorion to see if that’s what he really wants to do.