The Toronto Maple Leafs are entering the 2023-24 season with a surplus of NHL-caliber goalies. Ilya Samsonov is, of course, the club’s starter, but they have a decision to make for their backup. Rookie Joseph Woll is expected to have the role, as he is now eligible for waivers, and the Maple Leafs cannot risk losing him for nothing. Due to this, Martin Jones is likely the odd man out and could have a new home soon – whether it is through a waiver claim or a trade. Thus, let’s discuss three potential landing spots for the veteran goalie.
Tampa Bay Lightning
The Tampa Bay Lightning should be watched very closely when it comes to Jones. They were recently dealt awful injury news, as star goalie Andrei Vasilevskiy had back surgery and is expected to be out for the first two months of the season. What makes matters worse is they are entering the season with two inexperienced goalies in Jonas Johansson and Matt Tomkins. Johansson has just 35 games of NHL experience over six seasons, while Tomkins has never suited up in an NHL game. Needless to say, the Lightning should be on the hunt for a goalie.
Although Jones is not a star like Vasilevskiy, he would provide the Lightning with a proven NHL goalie. His cheap $875,000 cap hit would be manageable for the Lightning, and he could serve as their starting goalie when Vasilevskiy is out. Keep in mind, Jones appeared in 48 games last season alone with the Seattle Kraken.
Related: Maple Leafs, Lightning Good Trade Partners After Vasilevskiy News
As a result, if Jones hits the waiver wire before the start of the season, expect the Lightning to look at him. Perhaps they could even call the Maple Leafs about Jones, but trading with a division rival always comes with some risk.
Colorado Avalanche
Similar to the Lightning, the Colorado Avalanche are starting the year down a goalie. Pavel Francouz is still recovering from adductor surgery and not expected to be ready for the start of the regular season. It was also reported that the Avalanche have been examining the goalie market. Due to this, Jones certainly would make sense as a potential target for Colorado.
If acquired, Jones would serve as an upgrade over Justus Annunen as the team’s temporary backup. Similar to the Lightning’s current goalies, Annunen is unproven at the NHL level, only appearing in four games with the Avalanche over the last two seasons. With the Avalanche having high expectations for the new season, bringing in an experienced goalie like Jones would not be a bad idea.
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At the end of the day, Jones would be a solid but temporary backup for the Avalanche if acquired or claimed off waivers. Due to this, they are a team that we should keep an eye on if Jones hits waivers or is made available for trade by the Maple Leafs.
New York Rangers
The New York Rangers could be a potential dark horse landing spot for Jones. Although they signed Jonathan Quick to a one-year deal this summer, he has struggled immensely this preseason. He has lost all three of his appearances and has allowed 11 goals on just 57 shots. If this kind of play continues, the Rangers may have no choice but to consider adding another backup goalie. This is where Jones could make sense for New York.
The Rangers have other internal options like Louis Domingue and Dylan Garand who could be backup replacements for Quick if the veteran goalie continues to struggle. Yet, Domingue is primarily an American Hockey League (AHL) goalie at this point of his career, while Garand is a prospect with upside but is likely not ready for the NHL. Jones, on the other hand, would give them a proven NHL goalie if needed.
Alas, it is going to be interesting to see what the Maple Leafs decide to do with Jones from here. If he is officially made available for trade or hits the waiver wire, don’t be surprised if the Lightning and Avalanche are the two main teams on his trail. However, if Quick’s poor play carries over to the season, we should keep an eye on the Rangers as well.
