Enjoy This Current Hot Streak From Your Goalies, Leafs Fans — It Probably Won’t Last For Long

The gamble Toronto Maple Leafs GM Kyle Dubas more or less staked his job on this season – the acquisition of goaltenders Matt Murray and Ilya Samsonov – is paying off big-time thus far. But as we’ve said many times before, life in Leafs Land is never as great, or as terrible, as it often feels. This is something to bear in mind when you hear Buds fans celebrating the goaltending as if the organization hit the jackpot. As quickly as it developed into a high point, the Leafs’ netminding can hit the low marks.

Up-and-down goaltending is basically life in the NHL for all teams. Even teams with bona fide superstars in net – think of Andrei Vasilevskiy in Tampa Bay, or New York Rangers star Igor Shesterkin – have their tough stretches this season. The Leafs’ opponent Saturday, the Calgary Flames, are another instructive example: last season, No. 1 goalie Jacob Markstrom began the year as one of the hottest netminders in the game; this year, he’s clearly lost his confidence, and it shows in his individual statistics, including a .891 save percentage and an 8-7-2 record.

This is not to guarantee Murray or Samsonov will see their numbers plummet for the remainder of this year. Leafs head coach Sheldon Keefe has done a masterful job working with an injury-depleted defense corps, and Toronto’s top forwards have been excellent in terms of their defensive play. If Keefe continues to get full buy-in from his skaters, Samsonov and Murray will be helped immensely. And once Toronto’s injured defensemen return to the lineup, the trickle-down effect will make their group of blueliners all the more effective.

Indeed, once depth D-men Jordie Benn, Victor Mete, Mac Hollowell and Conor Timmins are all healthy at the same time, the pressure on key defensemen Morgan Rielly, T.J. Brodie, and Mark Giordano will ease, and, instead of Dubas having to trade for defensive help, he might be able to trade veteran Justin Holl – an unrestricted free agent next summer – for help for his bottom-six forward unit.

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But let’s get back to our original focus – Toronto’s goaltending. Murray and Samsonov each have missed significant time with injuries this season, and the way the league is trending, they may again be sidelined before the playoffs roll around.

The good news is their strong performances after returning from injury have given the Leafs a decent cushion near the top of the Atlantic Division that will prevent them from sinking low in the standings between now and mid-April. But if the goalie tandem can remain healthy, Toronto head coach Sheldon Keefe doesn’t have to lean especially hard on either one and set their focus on being rested and ready for the post-season. At some point, Keefe will have to give the starter’s job to the hotter player, but having an insurance policy in the form of a solid backup should put the minds of Leafs fans at ease.

It wasn’t the end of the world when Toronto’s goaltending was hamstrung by injuries, and it isn’t the be-all and end-all now that their goaltending is functioning about as well as anyone could ask for. The roller-coaster existence of NHL goalies is a fact of life for virtually every team in hockey’s top league, and the Leafs’ goalies aren’t immune to experiencing that ride.

So, enjoy this current goaltending high point, Leafs fans. It’s probably not going to last for all that long. Tougher times are almost assuredly ahead. Ultimately, minimizing the low points is what will be the difference between Toronto thriving, and Toronto underwhelming when the games matter most.