Goalies. Every year it’s goalies. The single biggest thing the Tampa fanbase has going for it isn’t the Cups, the great team, the coach or any of that, it’s that the only goalie conversation they ever have to have is which comically bad veteran, good-in-the-room backup will they sign this year. For the rest of us, it’s goalies all the way down, every summer.
Before I start my annual look at goalie choices for the Leafs, I think I should lay out my history of success, or lack there of, in o-pining about goaltending. Things I’ve thought have included:
- Calvin Pickard was going to be excellent
- Jhonas Enroth was a good idea as a backup
- Michael Hutchinson would be a better than average backup*
- Garret Sparks was not it
- Antoine Bibeau was not it
- Playing Kasimir Kaskisuo in the NHL was abusive
- Joe Woll was not it
- Ian Scott would be better than Woll
- Erik Källgren would flop**
- Frederik Andersen should be traded in the 2020 offseason***
- Linus Ullmark isn’t all that hot
- Alexandar Georgiev is a good bet
- Signing Petr Mrázek would be a mistake***
- Darcy Kuemper was not worth his ask
You get the picture.