So many Leafs in the crease

Questions were raised when the Leafs acquired Pickard from the Golden Knights. A lot of speculation was going around about Pickard replacing McElhinney as the Leafs everyday back up. With McElhinney posting 2, 1 loss and a SV% of .910 that seems to no longer be the case. The Maple Leafs actually have some great depth in the net at the moment. Not only is Freddy playing better of late, posting a .912 SV% over his last 5 starts with a 4-1 record. Which is a great improvement over his stats earlier in the season. Now down with the Marliers, Sparks is playing like a man on a mission. He is 7-2 with a .944 SV%, while playing the 7th most amount of minutes of all goalies in the AHL. That leaves Pickard as odd man out, while he has played well with a .918 SV% and a 3-2 record. 

The reality of this situation is that the Leafs have set themselves up for success in the crease. There are currently some injured goalies and also some who are not playing up to the expectations their respective teams had hope for. Are any of the goalies in the Leafs organization starter material besides Freddy? That is yet to be seen. But at the ages of 24 & 25, Pickard and Sparks are at the age when most goalies show exactly what their true potential is. It is unlikely that either will get any amount of starting minutes unless something unfortunate happens to Freddy. I hate to even think that thought. 

So while it is not optimal for these players to continue to battle it out for playing time in the AHL, it is a good situation for the Leafs. If the right offer was to come along for either of these guys, you have to think that the organization could easily part with one of them. Especially is McElhinney continues to be a solid backup for Freddy on those back to back situations. Those are historically the hardest games to win because unless you're playing against the same team 2 games in a row, the other team on the second game always has the fresher legs and more jump in their game.

So with the team playing better defensive hockey in front of the net, the stats should only continue to climb. And with the stats going in a positive direct, the team will surely follow.

Time will tell
#standwitness