For the latest Leafs updates or Follow @mikeinbuffalo on Twitter The Toronto Maple Leafs announced a number of signings and traded goaltender Garret Sparks to Vegas for a draft pick and winger David Clarkson’s LTIR-bound contract earlier this week. These moves put the Leafs at 48 professional contracts, with one spot being reserved for RFA Mitch Marner and the other for the potential signing of goalie Michal Neuvirth, who agreed to a professional tryout. It appears that most of GM Kyle Dubas’ work this summer other than Marner is done, unless the Leafs extend PTO’s to other veterans closer to training camp and move out players currently on the roster to stay under the 50 professional contract limit. That fact provides a clearer picture of who will compete for position battles starting at training camp in mid-September. The Leafs backup goaltending situation was simply a mess last season and in need of being addressed by GM Kyle Dubas after Sparks subpar season and fall from favor with head coach Mike Babcock, causing him to be replaced on the playoff roster by veteran Michael Hutchinson. The decision to go with Sparks over veteran Curtis McElhinney after winning the Calder Cup with the Toronto Marlies was understandable but controversial, especially after the Leafs lost both McElhinney and Calvin Pickard on waivers just before the start of last season, but the 26-year-old did not live up to Dubas’ expectations, playing inconsistently throughout the year and finishing with an under .500 record (8-9-1), a high GAA (3.15) and below-average save percentage (.902). The significant drop off from Frederik Andersen last season and Babcock’s resulting lack of confidence in Sparks forced the Leafs starter to play 60 games. That heavy workload and the points lost in the backup’s starts was a contributing factor to Toronto finishing seven points behind Boston in the Atlantic Division standings and not having home-ice advantage in the first-round series against the Bruins. It also made it unlikely that Sparks (who signed a one-year contract extension in March) would get a second chance at the NHL with Toronto. "All I've wanted is a fair opportunity, come [training] camp, to try and make the team," Sparks said to NHL.com’s Tracey Myers after the trade. “I think that I'll get a better opportunity [with Vegas] than I would have in Toronto. At the end of the day, that's what you're looking for as a player." Hutchinson played well (2-3-0, 2.64 GAA, .914 save %) in a five-game stint in December with both Andersen and Sparks injured and was sent down more because of his ability to clear waivers than performance after both goalies returned. The 30-year-old agreed to a league-minimum ($700,000) one-way deal last month and with over 100 games of NHL experience, could be a suitable backup for Andersen, but the question is whether Hutchinson can handle or will be used in more than back-to-back situations. Neuvirth reportedly turned down opportunities at guaranteed contracts with other NHL clubs to accept a professional tryout with the Leafs earlier this week, likely because the 31-year-old sees a chance to re-establish his career after battling through a series of injuries the last two seasons in Philadelphia.
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