Highs and Lo-gans (Part 1)

BY HIERONYMOUS MACMILLAN

The goaltending situation in Toronto has been something of a shitshow during the LedTasso regime. We all know the Maple Leafs GM isn't afraid to make a big move and gamble on players. It's essentially been his M.O. since entering the league. You can't fault the guy for trying to make this team better, even if every move hasn't always been a success and at the expense of the teams future. It's just that those gambles have been something of an unmitigated disaster when it comes to choosing a goalie. Everytime LedTasso has hitched his wagon to what he thinks is his new stud goalie, that stud has ended up being lame. 
Let's take a look back at the men who have guarded the cage for the Maple Leafs across the past 3 seasons. 

Connor Hellebuyck
The first goalie on this list is a bit of an anomaly. The reason for that being he didn't actually suit up for the Leafs. He was one very few valuable assets on a weak Toronto team when GMLT took over. In one of many moves made before the 2021-22 season even began, it was decided that Hellebuyck would be moved in a deal to help speed up the rebuild. He was shuttled off to Arizona that brought back Christian Dvorak, Jamie Drysdale, Filip Gustavsson, Joonas Korpisalo and three draft picks. 

Mackenzie Blackwood
The other goalie on the roster when Tasso took over. The plan was that Blackwood would blossom into a bonafide #1 and usher in the new era of Maple Leafs. Only 24 at the time and starting to gain some hype, it was easy to understand why. He lasted one full season as the starter and a handful in 22-23 for a total of 71 GP to go along with a 31-27-9 record. He would eventually be traded to the Seattle Kraken in a move that brought in Anton Forsberg. 

Anton Forsberg
Forsberg was brought in during the 22-23 season to help steady what was fast becoming an unstable position within the organisation. That season saw 4 different netminders in the crease, which included the aforementioned Blackwood to go along with Kaapo Kahkonen and Alex Nedeljkovic. More on them later. 
Forsberg was rock solid during his time in Toronto. His numbers might not have leapt off the page at you, but the platoon he ultimately formed with Kahkonen was good enough to earn the Leafs their first trip to the playoffs and he backstopped them to within one win of advancing to the Cup final before losing to eventual champs Columbus. 
A UFA at that seasons end, he wasn't re-signed and joined the Islanders on a 3 year deal. 

Filip Gustavsson
As previously mentioned, "Big Gus" was brought over in the Hellebuyck trade. The first of many goalie projects for Tasso. It was a solid bet as Gustavsson has turned into a reliable goaltender and starter. It just isn't with Toronto. Before the Leafs were able to reap those benefits, however, Gustavsson was shipped to Calgary (along with a 3rd round pick) in a brutal move. The return? Prospects Artemi Kniazev and Ryder Korczak (who have both since been traded) plus a 6th and 7th round pick. This one was ugly. 
Gustavsson was impressive throughout his lone season in the organisation, winning 43 games and helping lead the Marlies to their first of three consecutive division titles (and counting). Since then, things haven't gone great for him on a rebuilding Flames roster but he's still only 25 and has one year left on his contract at a manageable 3.5 million cap hit. Whether with Calgary or someone else, Gus should flourish in the league for years to come. The Toronto GM would love to take a mulligan on this trade.