The Toronto Maple Leafs are in the market for a new goalie in free agency, and insider James Mirtle of The Athletic has linked them to Winnipeg Jets netminder Laurent Brossoit.
Brossoit completed his one-year, $1.75 million contract with the Jets as the backup to Connor Hellebuyck. Heading into free agency, Mirtle suggests Brossoit is one of the Leafs’ top targets to form a tandem with Joseph Woll.
“I think they are going to get a tandem goaltender as opposed to a big name. Someone like Laurent Brossoit, who was the backup in Winnipeg this year, will be a target for the Leafs,” Mirtle said on The Leaf Report.
Brossoit posted a 15-5-2 record with Winnipeg last season, boasting a 2.00 goals-against average and a .927 save percentage. The 31-year-old joined the Jets after two years with the Vegas Golden Knights, where he won the Stanley Cup in 2023.
The Maple Leafs have Woll under contract for next season, while Ilya Samsonov and Martin Jones are pending free agents.
Maple Leafs GM Has Questions Surrounding Woll
Woll had taken over as Toronto’s starting goalie at the end of the year and in the playoffs but suffered a back injury at the end of Game 6. Injuries have been a recurring issue for Woll.
Maple Leafs general manager Brad Treliving emphasized the importance of keeping Woll healthy as the biggest concern for the goalie position this summer.
“I’ve got faith in Joe. The biggest question with Joe is he’s gotten injured a lot. We have to dig into that. Is there a training issue we need to deal with? Do we need to change something in his off-ice routine? All those things we have to dig into,” Treliving said at the year-end press conference.
Woll has one year left on his deal, paying him $766,667 for the 2024-25 NHL season. Last season, Woll went 12-11-1 with a 2.94 GAA and a .907 SV% in the regular season, and 2-0 with a 0.86 GAA and a .964 SV% in the playoffs before getting injured.
Samsonov Likely Won’t Be Back With The Maple Leafs
With Toronto expected to pursue Brossoit, Samsonov’s time with the Maple Leafs is likely over.
Samsonov spent two years with Toronto but lost his starting job in the playoffs to Woll both years. With the Russian netminder being a pending free agent, Treliving hinted that Samsonov is unlikely to return.
“I believe in Joe as a goaltender. We have to support Joe. Ilya’s contract is up, but we have to try to ensure we don’t have the second-best goaltender in each of these series,” Treliving said.
Samsonov went 23-7-8 with a 3.13 GAA and a .890 SV% in the regular season and had a 3.01 GAA and a .896 SV% in the playoffs.
The goalie Toronto ends up signing or trading for remains to be seen, but Brossoit and Nashville Predators goalie Juuse Saros have been linked to the Maple Leafs.
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