Toronto Maple Leafs solve goaltending depth issue by trading for Calvin Pickard
The Toronto Maple Leafs addressed an organizational issue on Friday by trading for goaltender Calvin Pickard.
Entering the 2017-18 NHL season, the Toronto Maple Leafs are a pretty strong organization from top to bottom. Even with a questionable defense and a perhaps concerning lack of experience, they are legitimate Stanley Cup contenders.
However, goaltending depth remained an issue. Acquiring Frederik Andersen during the 2016 offseason made it a much smaller problem. However, depth is always important to have in net in case of injuries. And after Andersen, the Leafs had at best one reliable NHL caliber goaltender (Curtis McElhinney).
On Friday, the Maple Leafs made a sneaky good move, trading for Vegas Golden Knights goaltender Calvin Pickard. In return, they gave up prospect Tobias Lindberg and a 2018 sixth-round pick. The Leafs got Lindberg in the Dion Phaneuf trade, hoping he would reach his potential. He’s proven to be a quality AHL player, posting 16 points in 44 games. But in an organization with a surplus of forward depth, Lindberg was falling down the depth chart.
What This Means For The Maple Leafs
Obviously, this move isn’t going to move the needle too much. Pickard will likely be stashed in the AHL. That’s precisely why the Leafs traded for him despite having the option of getting him for free less than 24 hours before. Because Pickard cleared waivers, he can be sent to the AHL.
Recency bias leads many to believe he’s not a reliable goalie. Pickard posted a .904 save percentage in 2016-17 after posting save percentages of .932 and .922 in his previous two seasons. The Leafs are betting on his 2014-15 and 2015-16 seasons being closer to his true talent than the 2016-17 season. It’s worth noting Pickard played for the Colorado Avalanche, who had a historically bad team last season.
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He provides them with another NHL caliber goalie should they need one. McElhinney doesn’t have a huge track record of success. In fact, one might argue Pickard has a larger one. And if McElhinney doesn’t sustain his solid performance from last season, the Leafs now have a strong Plan B.
What This Means For The Golden Knights
The Golden Knights got something for someone they could have easily lost for nothing. Keep in mind Pickard clearing waivers means he can be sent to the AHL. With a lot of teams having their goaltending situations under control and no one except last season’s New York Islanders desiring to carry three goalies, it’s not hard to see why he cleared.
However, it’s fair to question what the Golden Knights were thinking during the expansion draft. They selected three goalies. Now two of them are gone. Recently claimed Malcolm Subban is intriguing, but nothing he has shown suggests he’s NHL ready. They’re putting a ton of faith in Marc-Andre Fleury, who’s aging and coming off the worst season of his career.
Lindberg gives the Golden Knights a quality depth forward. He still has some upside in him and is merely 22 years old, so maybe down the line, he becomes a regular NHLer. The sixth-round pick is yet another draft asset, as the Golden Knights look to build through drafting.
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This situation could have blown up in Vegas’ face, so this is a fairly good solution. But it’s hard not to wonder if it could have been avoided with better planning.