With the contracts of Michael Hutchinson, Carter Hutton and Ian Scott set to expire this summer, the Leafs have been dipped into the free agent market this year to bring in a couple of additional bodies in goal, first in NCAA Hobey Baker Award winner Dryden McKay and now Cavallin, a 21-year-old goalie who has played four seasons with the OHL's Flint Firebirds.
Cavallin played 56 games for the Firebirds last season, posting a 36-14-4 record to go along with a .910 sv% and a 3.16 GAA. While these numbers may not exactly jump off the page, his playoff numbers were much stronger. In 19 playoff appearances, Cavallin posted a record of 11-7-1, sporting a 2.70 GAA and a sparkling .929 sv%. It is worth noting, however, that Cavallin's 36 wins were tops among OHL goaltenders this year.
The Leafs now have several goaltending prospects in the pipeline, including Cavallin, McKay, Keith Petruzzelli, Erik Kallgren and Joseph Woll, who are all currently playing in North America and also Vyacheslav Peksa and Artur Akhtyamov developing in Europe. The hope is that at least one of them will hit and develop into a viable NHL option.
Kallgren is obviously the furthest along in his development and has shown himself to be a capable backup at the NHL level, but requires a longer look to determine what the Leafs have in the 25-year-old. Woll also has a small sample size of NHL games under his belt and looked decent while he was there, but may need some more time to cook at the AHL level.
No word yet on where Cavallin will play, but I'm assuming that he and Dryden McKay may form the tandem for next year's Newfoundland Growlers with Petruzzelli graduating to the Marlies to play in behind Joseph Woll. Another reason for the signing could be that the Leafs intend to move one of their goaltending prospects as part of a package to bring in an established NHLer this summer. Time will tell.
