Not that they really stood a strong chance of getting him, but the Maple Leafs will have to keep looking for goaltending help now that Martin Brodeur has returned to the New Jersey Devils.
Whether they actually acquire a netminder is debatable.
That Brodeur re-signed with the Devils, to the tune of two years and $9 million US, should surprise nobody. He had zero interest in leaving New Jersey despite hiring agent Pat Brisson to field offers.
The Leafs kicked the tires on the 40-year-old Brodeur, which was smart.
But with the expectation that Roberto Luongo eventually gets traded to the Florida Panthers by the Vancouver Canucks, the goaltending window for the Leafs will just about close.
As it stands now, envisioning anything other than a James Reimer-Ben Scrivens tandem coming out of training camp in September seems a bit far-fetched. There’s nothing of note available in free agency, not that the Leafs were going to go that route for a netminder anyway, and after Luongo, there is not much on the trade market.
The Leafs, meanwhile, said goodbye to another forward, as Joey Crabb signed a one-year deal worth $950,000 with the Washington Capitals.
General manager Brian Burke has said that he expects Jerry D’Amigo to push for a job in camp. Another forward who will be worth watching is Leo Komarov, who is participating this week in the prospects camp at the MasterCard Centre in Etobicoke.
Komarov, 25, has spent the past three seasons in the KHL with Moscow Dynamo. In 46 games last season Komarov had 11 goals and 13 assists and helped Dynamo win the KHL title.
The Leafs, under John Ferguson, selected Komarov 180th overall in 2006.
Categories: General