Toronto Maple Leafs Roundtable
Maple Leafs Appoint Curtis McElhinney as Director of Goaltending Development; Jake Muzzin Assumes Role as Pro Scout
The Leafs also added Chris Bourque will assume a new role as a College Free Agent Scout.
The Toronto Maple Leafs have a new person in charge of evaluating the goaltending position.
The club announced three appointments to their front office staff on Monday. Included in that announcement was former Maple Leafs goaltender Curtis McElhinney, who became the team's new Director of Goaltending Development and Scouting.
McElhinney was invited by the Maple Leafs to check out training camp last month. The club was on a search for a new goaltending evaluator after Jon Elkin departed the club to join the Pittsburgh Penguins.
McElhinney played in 249 regular season NHL games split between the Tampa Bay Lightning, Carolina Hurricanes, the Maple Leafs, Columbus Blue Jackets, Phoenix Coyotes, Ottawa Senators, Anaheim Ducks and Calgary Flames. He won two Stanley Cups with Tampa (2020 and 2021) and represented Canada at the 2018 IIHF World Hockey Championship.
While with the Leafs, McElhinney served as a serviceable backup. His tenure was most remembered for the club's penultimate game of the regular season against the Pittsburgh Penguins. Needing points to secure their first playoff spot in four years, McElhinney made a game-saving stop on Sidney Crosby late to help preserve the win for Toronto.
[embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=48GABZjm3qs[/embed]
Jake Muzzin, who is still on long-term injured reserve with the Leafs, is pivoting to a pro scout role for this season.
'Two guys with a lot of experience in the league, you can never have enough of those people," Maple Leafs head coach Sheldon Keefe said of the appointments.
Muzzin suffered a career-ending neck injury early last season and was limited to just four games.
Chris Bourque becomes the team's new college free agent scoutn. He joined the Maple Leafs’ scouting staff in the 2022-23 season after a 17-year playing career.
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