What Is the Toronto Maple Leafs' Best Goalie Lineup Moving Forward?

For quite some time now, the Toronto Maple Leafs have been a sinkhole when it comes to goaltending. 

Look through the franchise's recent history, and you’ll see a long list of young and old netminders who’ve tried (and mostly failed) to establish Toronto as their long-term home. 

But at the moment, things are changing rapidly — to the point that the Leafs now have the type of goaltending depth that many other franchises would kill for.

Indeed, with youngster Joseph Woll and veterans Martin Jones and Ilya Samsonov in tow, the Buds have three options for coach Sheldon Keefe to pick from on any given night. 

That’s not counting veteran Matt Murray, who has been back on the ice recently as he recovers from his major injury woes. It’s not very likely that Murray will play a game before the end of the regular season, but stranger things have happened.

The good news for Leafs fans is that Woll is shaping up to be the No. 1 goalie of the future and the present. 

The 25-year-old has looked sharp and ready to handle the pressures that come along with being a starting goalie, as well as the stresses that come with playing in Toronto. His contract is also very team-friendly for next season – he’s an RFA in the summer of 2025, but nobody would be surprised if Leafs GM Brad Treliving signs Woll to a lengthy contract extension in the area of $4 million to $5 million per season on a three- to four-year deal. By that time, the Buds’ salary cap situation will open up somewhat, and Woll will be well-compensated as he settles into his prime.

Samsonov and Jones are another story. It’s hard to see Jones – a UFA at season’s end – re-signing with Toronto to be the third option in net. And while Samsonov deserves credit for shaking off a horrendous start to this season, at 27 years old, he’s at best going to be a tandem option for the Buds. Samsonov’s injury history makes a long-term deal less of a likelihood, but for the next couple of seasons, he could still be Woll’s tandem-mate.

As we’ve seen during the tenure of coach Sheldon Keefe, the Leafs like having multiple options no matter what position they’re dealing with. What felt like a weakness earlier this season is now a strength, and Toronto now has a good deal of goaltending insurance to use if the injury bug takes another bite out of Woll and/or Samsonov. 

They may not have a Vezina Trophy front-runner, but very few teams are blessed with that type of Grade-A netminding talent. At the very least, Keefe knows he can switch things up in net if his current tandem isn’t getting the job done.

The Leafs don’t necessarily need Woll, Samsonov or Jones to steal them games the way some teams need their goalies to do. Just keeping them in games – and waiting for Toronto’s high-octane offense to take over – would be good enough for Leafs coaching and management. 

Once the playoffs arrive and Keefe has to decide on his starter in net, we still think the job is Woll’s to lose. But if Samsonov can replicate his recent form, he might be the hot hand Keefe chooses to ride in the first round and beyond. It’s all still very much up in the air, but Leafs fans can take comfort in the knowledge that if someone does falter between the pipes, there’s a cavalry that very well could come to Toronto’s rescue.

That’s about as good as it gets with NHL goaltending, and the Leafs should be fairly relieved they have all sorts of options to help them win playoff rounds. It’s all about momentum and confidence now, and the goalie who has those things will be Keefe’s pick to be the team’s last line of defense.