The Toronto Maple Leafs have to be liking the New York Rangers goalie situation. If New York gets desperate enough, it could give Toronto a chance to fleece their Eastern Conference rivals.
The Blueshirts look like Igor Shesterkin’s injury situation has finally caught up to them. Rookie Dylan Garand has done his best, and former Leaf James Reimer crashed and burned in his debut.
That’s why there has been some loose talk linking Anthony Stolarz to the Rangers. And with New York now riding a three-game losing streak and starting to fade in the Metro Division, one has to think that the urgency for a goaltending solution is increasing.
Stolarz has been linked to the Rangers in a couple of trade rumors over the last couple of weeks. While nothing seemed imminent, there has to be a sense that the Maple Leafs would be willing to listen if New York is serious about getting some help now.
It’s worth noting that the Rangers do have another solid NHL goalie, Joonas Korpisalo. However, the veteran netminder is on the shelf and could be out until the second week of November. And with Reimer not looking like much of a stopgap at this point, there could be mounting pressure to do something, anything, to help offset Shesterkin’s absence.
Would Trading Anthony Stolarz Make Sense for the Maple Leafs?
The idea of trading Anthony Stolarz to the New York Rangers or any other team makes sense only if the return is truly overwhelming.
In other words, John Chayka would have to get an offer that he just can’t refuse.
That may be a bit of a tough situation for the Rangers, as they don’t really have the types of pieces that could knock Chayka’s socks off.
One of the names that’s been out there is Braeden Schneider. The 25-year-old looks like a pretty good young defenseman. But he may not necessarily be the solution the Maple Leafs are looking for on the back end.
Plus, Toronto might not be too willing to look into prospects. The Maple Leafs are looking for immediate help, especially on the blue line. That’s why, unless Chayka viewed trading Stolarz as a cap dump, the organization might be better off just holding on to Stolarz.
Goaltending Depth Would Suddenly Become an Issue
Trading Stolarz would also open up another interesting dilemma.
With Stolarz gone, Artur Akhtyamov would have to come up to the NHL. That’s fine, but the depth behind Akhtyamov could become an issue.
Now, getting a depth guy, like Reimer, to play in the AHL shouldn’t be that big of a deal. But one has to think about the overall depth should, Heaven forbid, Sergei Bobrovsky go down. Even with the injury concerns surrounding Stolarz, the organizational depth seems fine as it is this season.
That’s why, in the grander scheme of things, trading Stolarz might not be the best idea for the Maple Leafs right now.
Again, it would all boil down to the type of offer the Rangers could make. But unless that offer is something so amazing that Chayka can’t turn it down, the best course of action might be to just sit back and let New York figure out its goaltending situation.
Maple Leafs Have to Like the Rangers Goalie Situation