Fantasy Take: Leafs Sign Martin Jones
Alexander MacLean
2023-08-09
The Leafs weren't content to just rest with Ilya Samsonov and Joseph Woll this year, bringing in a veteran name to add some depth to the organization. The question becomes, will Jones be the defacto number-two guy, or will he cede it to the up-and-coming Woll, slotting Jones in as the starter for the Marlies?
What Jones brings:
Over the past few seasons, Jones has had some stretches where he has been a serviceable backup goalie. However, those stretches have been overshadowed by a lot of poor games, to the point that he hasn't posted a save percentage over .900 since all the way back in 2017-18, playing for a powerhouse Sharks team.
The good thing for him is that this season's iteration of the Toronto Maple Leafs would be the best team he has played on since those championship-contender Sharks teams. It should be enough to keep Jones about a .900 save percentage level, and bring in a few wins, giving him some fantasy relevance as a streamer.
If he ends up with the Marlies then he would be a reliable veteran presence there, ready to be called up in the case of an injury.
The Situation for the Maple Leafs:
Samsonov will remain a 55+ game starter for the Maple Leafs, and this signing does nothing to change that.
Battling Jones for starts will be the 25-year-old Woll, who posted extraordinary numbers in limited games last season. He has the smaller cap hit (usually a big deal for the Leafs) and would require waivers to be sent down – he would get claimed. If the comparison is done based on talent alone, then Woll would win the backup job hands down.
In the case of a Samsonov injury, then Jones could be brought up to maintain the veteran presence around Woll, but it would be the youngster taking on the starter's workload.
Players this helps:
Players this hurts:
Joseph Woll (Just a smidge with only a couple lost games of volume on the year)