The top 3 best backup goaltenders in Toronto over the last decade
In my last piece, I went over a list of netminders who I felt the were the 3 least effective backup goaltenders in Toronto from the last 10 seasons. In this piece, I'll flip the script and identify who I believe are the top 3 Leafs backups over that same timespan, beginning with a young netminder who has very little experience as a backup thus far; Joseph Woll.
3. Joseph Woll
The Brick Woll is still very early in his Leafs career, but with a record of 9-2-0 in the regular season and a .924sv%, he looks very promising. I could list a lot of goalies I've gotten too excited about after strong starts, Sparks among them, but I really believe this kid, with his steady, technically sound game, can turn into the goalie of the future for the Maple Leafs.
Man, I loved Jack in his first 2 seasons in Toronto. He came in as Michael Hutchinson's replacement in 2020 and played well enough to steal the starter's net in the playoffs from a fading Frederik Andersen by the end of his second season. Unfortunately, his time as a backup went better than his time as a starter. Injury, inconsistency and confidence issues ultimately derailed Campbell's season as a starter, but as a backup, he was all the Leafs could have hoped for.
1. Curtis McElhinney
Affectionally nicknamed "McBackup" by the fans, McElhinney was a solid, capable backup who could and did shoulder the load when Andersen needed a break. After the Leafs waived him, he was picked up by Tampa and now has his name forever etched on the Stanley Cup. The reason that McElhinney takes the number one spot on this list is not just because he posted a stellar .925sv% in 32 games for the Leafs. But because of this spectacular, season saving, playoff slump breaking save on none other than Sidney Crosby himself.
Obviously, I think most were expecting to see Ilya Samsonov on this list in the number one spot. The fact of the matter here is that with the amount of injury issues that plagued Matt Murray this past season, Samsonov was pretty much the Leafs' starting goaltender for most of the year, or a 1A at the very least. I simply didn't feel like he qualified as a backup for much of the year, if at all.
| POLL | ||
AOUT 3 | 215 ANSWERS The top 3 best backup goaltenders in Toronto over the last decade Who do you think is the best Leafs backup goalie over the last 10 years? | ||
| Curtis McElhinney | 102 | 47.4 % |
| Joseph Woll | 59 | 27.4 % |
| Jack Campbell | 43 | 20 % |
| Other | 11 | 5.1 % |
| List of polls | ||
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