Brossoit is coming off a one-year, $1.75 million deal he signed with the Winnipeg Jets on July 1 last year.
Brossoit is coming off a one-year, $1.75 million deal he signed with the Winnipeg Jets on July 1 last year.
The Toronto Maple Leafs will be hunting for plenty of players on NHL Free Agency Day this summer, and there might not be a more important position to fill than in the net.
Toronto is coming off a year of having several goalies see the net as injuries and a lack of consistency built up. Joseph Woll has one more year remaining at a measly $766,667 and Ilya Samsonov, whose season was filled with ups and downs, is approaching free agency wanting term instead of taking another one-year deal.
"I want to get some more stability," the 27-year-old said during the Maple Leafs' end-of-season media availability. "This will be nice if we get couple years or few years contract."
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Toronto could elect to bring back Martin Jones on a cheap deal, but if that occurs, he'd likely be the third goalie option again. With that being said, Maple Leafs GM Brad Treliving has been linked to other netminders, including Calgary Flames goaltender Jacob Markstrom.
And as of Monday, according to The Athletic's James Mirtle, there's shared interest between both Toronto and Laurent Brossoit, who's entering free agency on July 1.
"There’s not a bona fide No. 1 available in free agency, and I expect it’ll be extremely difficult for Treliving to pry either Jacob Markstrom or Linus Ullmark out of Calgary and Boston — especially when teams like the Devils can dangle a top-10 pick in return. That leaves someone like Laurent Brossoit as a tandem option to split starts with Woll, who, it should be said, Leafs management remains very, very high on," Mirtle wrote.
"Brossoit hasn’t played a ton, but he has put up good numbers the past few seasons. His top priority as a 31-year-old UFA is going to be to go to a good team where he can start frequently. The Leafs fit the bill, and my understanding is there is mutual interest."
Brossoit is coming off a strong season with the Winnipeg Jets. He had a 15-5-2 record through 23 games and finished the regular season with a .927 save percentage, the best among NHL goaltenders who played 20+ games.
The 31-year-old also won the Stanley Cup with the Vegas Golden Knights in 2023, playing eight games and posting a 5-2-0 record with an .894 save percentage. Given Brossoit's lack of playing time — only appearing in 34 games throughout the last two regular seasons — and his strong save percentage, he could get a shorter deal on July 1.
"It’s hard to project exactly what he’ll cost given how thin the UFA goalie class is," Mirtle added, "but my guess is it’ll be a relatively short-term deal for around $3 million."
The Maple Leafs are entering free agency with Samsonov, Jones, and Matt Murray becoming unrestricted free agents. Woll is the only NHL-ready goaltender under contract with Toronto, while Dennis Hildeby, who's also under contract, will likely spend most of next season in the AHL with the Marlies.
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