Yesterday on The Athletic, James Mirtle confirmed what all of us had been assuming, that the Toronto Maple Leafs and New York Rangers were indeed discussing an Alex Georgiev trade. This shouldn’t be a surprise. The Leafs have had goalie issues lately and a 23-year-old potential franchise goaltender is something they’d be interested in. Michael Hutchinson is their current backup, and Frederik Andersen is their starter.
Georgiev is an upgrade on Hutchinson as the backup, that’s a given. But the Leafs aren’t looking at Georgiev as a backup. He’d be the next starter once Andersen’s contract expires after next season.