The Toronto Maple Leafs have added to their goalie depth, signing Martin Jones to a one-year, $875,000 contract. Jones’ contract is also a one-way deal.
🖊 We’ve signed goaltender Martin Jones to a one-year contract
— Toronto Maple Leafs (@MapleLeafs) August 9, 2023
With this signing, the Maple Leafs have now given Joseph Woll some competition for the backup job, which is certainly not a bad thing.
Jones’ 2022-23 Season
Jones spent this past season with the Kraken, where he posted a solid 27-13-3 record. However, his 2.99 goals-against average (GAA) and .887 save percentage (SV%) effectively show that he was far from consistent. He will now be looking to change that with the Maple Leafs in 2022-23.
Although Jones had his fair share of struggles this past season with the Kraken, he still managed to win far more games than he lost. Perhaps this is something that could continue if he wins the backup job with the Maple Leafs, as Toronto’s offense should be able to steal some games for him.
Jones & Woll Will Compete for Maple Leafs’ Backup Job
Heading into the 2023-24 season, it seemed that Woll was guaranteed to be the Maple Leafs’ backup goalie. This was especially the case after the Maple Leafs announced that fellow netminder Matt Murray would be placed on long-term injured reserve (LTIR) before the start of the campaign. Yet, this Jones signing has changed things on that, as there is no question that he will also get serious consideration for an NHL spot at the start of the season.
Related: 2023 NHL Free Agency Tracker
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However, it is also important to note that Woll was quite good for the Maple Leafs last season when called upon. In seven regular-season games, he posted a 6-1-0 record, a 2.16 GAA, and a .932 SV%. He also followed that up by posting a .915 SV% and a 2.43 GAA in four playoff appearances. Yet, his sample size is also quite small, so it makes sense that the Maple Leafs have brought in Jones for insurance.
No matter who they choose to go with for their backup position, the Maple Leafs now have two solid options to consider for the role. It will be intriguing to see who they end up picking.
Signing Jones is Low-Risk Move for Maple Leafs
At the end of the day, it is hard to complain about this signing from the Maple Leafs’ point of view. They have added a very experienced goaltender to their group and another possible option for the backup job in the process. They also have signed Jones to a very affordable deal, so it does not make much of an impact on them financially.
If Jones makes the club and succeeds, this will be a sweet move for the Maple Leafs. Yet, if they end up rolling with Woll, Jones would simply be an effective third-string goalie for Toronto, if he clears waivers, of course. Alas, we will now need to wait and see how well Jones performs for the Maple Leafs from here.