Kyle Dubas Has Tough Decisions to Make Very Soon

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Mackenzie Stern-Kolesnikow
March 13, 2023 (6:45 PM)

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Currently, the Leafs have an excellent goalie duo with Ilya Samsonov and Matt Murray, despite the fact that that Murray has missed two chunks of the season due to injuries. During his absence, Samsonov has proven himself to be Toronto's number one goaltender.

Samsonov has an impressive record of 23-8-2, three shutouts, a 2.41 GAA and a very solid .915 SV%. Murray has an 11-6-2 record, with one shutout, a 2.80 GAA and a .908 SV%.

The Leafs are lucky to have the current Toronto Marlies goalie Joseph Woll available if needed. This is where the dilemma presents itself.

Who will Toronto choose for next season?

Joseph Woll has a very good record in the AHL this season, with a 15-1-0 record, a 2.24 GAA and a .933 SV%

Woll has had the chance to prove his worth to the Leafs three times this season, with three NHL starts. His record is 2-1-0, with a 2.04 GAA and a .938 SV%. This shows that Woll is a very good choice for the Leafs.

Murray still has another year left on his $4.687 million contract, Samsonov will become an RFA with a $1.8 million qualifying offer, if Toronto chooses to keep him.

Toronto has the option to offer him a contract extension worth more than $1.8 million, but they will likely qualify him first as a safety net, then negotiate afterwards. Woll has two years left on his relatively cheap contract, which only carries a $766,667 salary cap hit. Next season, Woll will no longer be waivers except, and many teams would jump at the chance to claim Woll off of waivers from Toronto, both to get a young talented goaltender, and to screw over the Leafs.

What will Toronto do with all three goaltenders?

Should the Leafs risk a roster spot to carry all three goalies next season? Should they trade Murray? These are some tough questions Toronto's GM Kyle Dubas must answer.

Wiping $4.687-million off of the salary cap would be beneficial for Dubas. The only issue is that he must have confidence that Samsonov and Woll will be able to get the job done. If either of the two goalies get hurt next season, Erik Kallgren is next in line, but he is also an RFA this summer, meaning he might not be there next season.

Dubas has a choice between three incredible goalies, the only question is who should he choose for next season?

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