Who is Toronto’s BackUp Goalie?
After several poor showings, the Toronto Maple Leafs have waived goalie Michael Hutchinson and now are in an awkward spot. They lack a backup. It currently looks like they are going to callup Toronto Marlie Kasimir Kaskisuso, but could Toronto make calls on goalies?
This is pure speculation, but I believe that the Wild could make a pragmatic move with the Leafs goaltending situation. I mentioned in the rebuild post that the Wild are likely moving on from the current starting goaltender, but with the extremely tight cap the Maple Leafs have, I doubt they would take Dubnyk.
But what about Alex Stalock?
He’s making $50K more than Hutchinson was, $75K more than Kaskisuso, but has had a solid start to the season. He currently sits at 2.85 GAA and a .903 save percentage. It’s much better than Hutchinson’s 4.44 GAA and .879 save percentage. I have to think that the Wild could make a package of Stalock and Fiala or Donato for perhaps a young guy like Ilya Mikheyev (a Russian for when Kaprizov arrives) and Nic Petan, who they appear to be actively trying to move.
It also serves a great opportunity for Minnesota to get Kaapo Kahkonen or Mat Robson NHL time as Dubnyk’s backup.
None of this has been substantiated by trade rumors, but more identifying a hole for the Leafs and how the Wild could help fill it for Toronto.
What do you think? Who do you think is on the way out of Minnesota? Who do you want to see stay? What do you want the Wild to get in return, realistically?