If you need to catch up on why the Toronto Maple Leafs have needed amateur backup goalies lately, Mike Stephens has you covered.
OK, so here's the deal.
The most dramatic show on television this week was not, in fact, the latest episode of HBO's Succession – which was so good it left many (myself included) speechless. It has actually been the Toronto Maple Leafs and their goaltender shuffling, a saga that features enough surprise cameos, sudden injuries and plot twists to rival the Roy Family.
Let's take a look at what has happened, though. Sound good?
It all started with Matt Murray, who sustained a head injury on April 2 versus the Detroit Red Wings, which has left him unavailable to play since. As such, the Maple Leafs recalled Joseph Woll from the AHL the following day to take Murray's roster spot and even started him against the Columbus Blue Jackets on April 4 before handing the reigns back over to Ilya Samsonov versus the Boston Bruins on April 6.
Following that game versus the Bruins, the Maple Leafs sent Woll back down to the AHL's Toronto Marlies.
This all happened to be unfolding right as the NCAA championship was coming to a head, which featured Matthew Knies, the Maple Leafs' top prospect.
To sign Knies once his collegiate season was over, Toronto needed to either clear some cap space or use an emergency recall, the latter of which would allow them to add up to $850,000 to their cap without it counting against their total.
On Saturday versus the Montreal Canadiens, Sheldon Keefe told reporters following morning skate that Murray was progressing well and could be ready to back up Samsonov that night if cleared by the medical staff. Few believed this to be the case, however, as Murray had yet to hit the ice in any capacity following his latest injury. It laid the foundation for an "emergency situation." And with the Marlies on a road trip, Woll was unavailable. So, by playing that game one player short and signing University of Toronto netminder Jett Alexander to an ATO for the night, the Maple Leafs would then be eligible for emergency circumstances.
That appears to be what happened, as the Maple Leafs then used their newfound cap-free spending money on Knies, which, in effect, barred them from calling Woll up to play in Monday's game versus the Florida Panthers due to insufficient cap space.
The intriguing part, though, is that without Knies, the Maple Leafs would have only been at 10 healthy forwards for that contest due to injuries to Sam Lafferty and Calle Jarnkrok. This circumstance should have, in theory, afforded them an extra recall under emergency conditions.
The NHL, however, reportedly denied their request for an emergency recall, and the club was then forced to sign yet another amateur backup to a tryout offer and have him back up Samsonov. This time, it was former Owen Sound Attack netminder Nick Chenard.
This now brings us to Tuesday's explosive conclusion.
Having effectively played one player short versus the Panthers once again, the Maple Leafs were deemed eligible for an emergency recall ahead of their game versus the Tampa Bay Lightning. It was not without some drama at first, as on Tuesday morning, two amateur netminders practised with team staff as if they were starting that night on the off-chance the NHL denied their request again.
Alas, that was not the case, and Joseph Woll was the confirmed starter for Tuesday night's contest. They still had to sign former Windsor Spitfires goalie Matt Onuska to an ATO to back up on Tuesday, as Samsonov will sit out.
On top of that, Leafs coach Sheldon Keefe said Auston Matthews, Mitch Marner and Mark Giordano would not dress tonight, and they will dress 11 forwards and six defensemen. One of those forwards is Conor Timmins, who's normally a D-man.
And they said these games would be boring.