Breaking: Leafs closing in on talks as favorites to sign 6′6″ , 207 lb top goaltender

Calgary Flames goaltender Jacob Markstrom is likely to be a highly sought-after trade target this offseason.

According to Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman, the Toronto Maple Leafs could be a surprise trade partner for Markstrom, despite the strong market for the 34-year-old Swedish player.

“I’m curious about a few other teams as well.Friedman mentioned Toronto. “And, while I understand that deals with Toronto and Calgary are complicated, the GM in Toronto is the same person who signed Markstrom in Calgary.” And, on paper, a Markstrom-[Joseph] Woll combination looks quite nice. I look at that and say, “I can see why a team like Toronto might be interested in that.”

Goaltending is arguably Toronto’s biggest weakness.

During the playoffs, the Leafs’ inconsistency in net contributed to their first-round series loss to the Boston Bruins. The squad won both games started by Joseph Woll (who has lost significant time this season due to several ailments), but went 1-4 while Ilya Samsonov was in goal.

There was also a significant difference between Woll’s numbers and Samsonov’s. Woll, 25, had a 0.86 goals-against average and.964 save percentage, while Samsonov, 27, allowed 3.01 goals per game and had a save percentage of.896.

Adding a veteran of more than a decade, like as Markstrom, would undoubtedly help Toronto fix its goaltender situation. Although his 23-23-2 record from last season isn’t particularly impressive, Markstrom did post a 2.78 goals-against average and.905 save percentage for 2023.

If moved to a team like the Maple Leafs, Markstrom would most likely play 1A-1B, splitting starts with Woll.