Toronto Maple Leafs: Likely landing spots for Curtis McElhinney

The Toronto Maple Leafs open training camp on September 14th and still have several options to back-up Frederik Andersen with. What if they decide to trade CurtisMcElhinney

Although 35-year-old goaltender Curtis McElhinney performed admirably behind the Toronto Maple Leafs‘ starter Frederik Andersen in 2017-18, the heir apparent to that role is presumably vested in youth. With two Toronto Marlies in Garret Sparks and Calvin Pickard, each itching to earn an NHL job, the answer seemingly lies internally.

Last season, McElhinney exceeded expectations while posting an 11-5-1 record on top of a 2.15 GAA and .934 SV percentage. Overwhelmingly, he also added three shutout performances to his best season by a wide margin.

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It remains to be seen whether or not this is repeatable for a player of his age and caliber. However, regardless of any projection, there is simply no better time to sell a receding stock. By no means will it net a considerable return but rather a late-round draft pick or prospect.

Role Model

If you follow the Maple Leafs, you may recognize just how underappreciated McElhinney is league-wide, despite his professionalism and impeccable mannerisms.

Sportsnet’s Doug MacLean seems to think moving him wouldn’t be a problem.

"“McElhinney is a total team guy and great NHL backup, so, in my opinion, you can move him.”"

You can take this with a grain of salt but it doesn’t excuse the fact that McElhinney is, in fact, a great team player.

There are numerous teams aside from Toronto that would benefit from his presence, even strictly from a maturity standpoint.

Mike Babcock certainly agrees.

"“He’s first guy on the ice and he works hard, so when it’s his turn, it’s not lucky that he plays well. It’s important when you have so many young guys to see what good pros do. It’s important for Andy, too.”"

In retrospect, Curtis McElhinney could prove to be an invaluable backup elsewhere if the Toronto Maple Leafs decide to audition one of their younger AHL-studs. Keep in mind that there are now six (6) goaltenders under contract entering the 2018-19 campaign; Frederik Andersen, Curtis McElhinney, Garret Sparks, Calvin Pickard, Kasimir Kaskisuo, and recently acquired Eamon McAdam.

Youth in Revolt

Considering Sparks was voted as the AHL’s 2017-18 most outstanding goaltender, and both Pickard and Kaskisuo are high-end AHL puck-stoppers, there is more than enough leeway to ship out a less-than-duly utilized veteran such as McElhinney.

Frederik Andersen finished fourth overall in Vezina Trophy voting and is arguably the Toronto Maple Leafs’ MVP, Mike Babcock uses him at every given opportunity. He should be expected to carry another heavy workload this season unless Coach Babcock changes his philosophy concerning back-to-backs and additional usage of his backup option.

Perhaps newly anointed Toronto Maple Leafs GM and perceived Garret Sparks believer Kyle Dubas will have further input on that.

A 66-game pace is certainly not healthy in the long-term, however, if given a younger, more promising backup option, his workload can be reduced. It comes down to coaching preferences and Babcock evidently does not fully trust McElhinney outside of the required back-to-backs.

For what it’s worth, Sparks has put himself into some pretty elite company at the AHL level.

Edmonton Oilers

Beyond Cam Talbot, the Oilers have very little to offer in terms of goaltending insurance. To be perfectly blunt, the pipeline does not look promising either as it currently stands.

If presumed backup Mikko Koskinen and his $2.5M cap hit fail to balance the load in a secondary role, McElhinney could be a cost-efficient replacement. Koskinen has a mere 4 NHL games to his name, all of which were with the Islanders in 2010-11. However, his stellar KHL career does offer up a reason for optimism. Al Montoya could be called upon to step into that role as well, although his declining numbers at 33-years-old suggest otherwise.

Talbot has seen a similar share of the crease as Frederik Andersen in recent years but injuries are beginning to catching up to him. Cap space may be an issue for Peter Chiarelli and company but a dependable backup is necessary for their team to contend.

Pittsburgh Penguins

Not unfamiliar as trading partners, the Penguins could be a good destination for McElhinney’s services. Since losing Marc-Andre Fleury to Vegas in the expansion draft last Summer, the Pens have struggled to find a suitable backup for Matt Murray.

If Casey DeSmith and Tristan Jarry cannot solidify themselves in the role this season, McElhinney could be used as a stop-gap as he is set to become an unrestricted free agent following the 2018-19 campaign.

Washington Capitals

When it comes to the defending Stanley Cup Champions, Braden Holtby and Pheonix Copley are all that stand between them and a colossal goaltending breakdown. Simply put, Holtby is Washington’s livelihood, and if he were to go down, Copley is not exactly a reassuring backup plan.

A veteran, low-risk presence such as McElhinney could be beneficial to both the team and Holtby individually.

What would you do in Toronto’s situation? Has Garret Sparks earned himself an NHL opportunity?