Wild Clause In Martin Jones' Contract May Prevent Him From Being Claimed
NHL waiver placements are at an all-time high heading into the season. Teams are trying to get their rosters set for opening night. One Maple Leafs waiver has an odd clause in his contract that could keep him from being claimed.
Wild Clause In Jones' Contract May Prevent Him From Being Claimed
When the Toronto Maple Leafs signed Martin Jones he was expected to be the 3rd goalie on the roster. This meant he would likely need to be sent down on waivers. In anticipation of this, the Maple Leafs put a clause in his contract to deter other teams from claiming him.
That was structured into the $875,000, one-year contract he signed in August.
With this clause whatever team would claim Jones would immediately owe him $100,000. While this is not a lot of money it could be the difference between Jones being claimed and another goalie being claimed instead.
Maple Leafs Need Depth In Goal
With the uncertainty of Toronto's goaltending situation depth is key for them. Ilya Samsonov is likely to be the team's starter after coming off of a good year. Historically he has struggled with inconsistency though.
Samsonov's backup Joseph Woll has a very small sample size of NHL appearances. When he has played Woll has been good but young goaltenders can struggle with inconsistency. Having Martin Jones around in the AHL could be a much-needed safety blanket in case either goalie on the main roster struggles.
Martin Jones brings experience in the net to the organization. He has not been good enough in recent years to earn a full-time roster spot. However, if the Maple Leafs lose out on him due to waivers it still could be a crucial loss.
| POLL | ||
Will Martin Jones be claimed by another team? | ||
| Yes | 254 | 42.5 % |
| No | 343 | 57.5 % |
| List of polls | ||
