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Between now and the NHL Draft, there are a number of factors that could affect the direction that the Toronto Maple Leafs take in regards to the club for next season. Arguably the most important decision is between the pipes, where the club appears to be ready to move on from Jack Campbell (based on his rumored price tag as an unrestricted free agent) and the speculation that GM Kyle Dubas will look to either trade or buyout Petr Mrazek one year into his three-year, $11.4 million deal.
TSN’s Chris Johnston recently speculated that the Leafs could be interested in two-time Stanley Cup winner Matt Murray, possibly after being bought out by Ottawa or in a trade if the Sens retained salary or took back a contract like Mrazek in the deal. Last week, other reports indicated that Anaheim Ducks goalie John Gibson may be on the market.
Islanders goaltender Semyon Varlamov, unrestricted free agents Ville Husso, Darcy Kuemper, three-time Cup winner Marc-Andre Fleury, and former Vezina Trophy winner Sergei Bobrovsky could also be options.
Another potential candidate could be veteran Jonathan Quick. The 36-year-old appeared to be on the decline after three straight subpar seasons with the Los Angeles Kings, but the two-time Cup winner bounced back last year, going 23-13-9 (2.59 GAA, .910 save percentage) in 46 games and helping the underdog Kings reach Game 7 of the opening round against Edmonton.
The Kings have a unique situation between the pipes next season, with Quick (one more year at $5.8 million) and Cal Petersen entering the first year of a three-year, $15 million contract extension. Los Angeles has not been hesitant to move on from members of their Cup winning squads of 2012 and 2014, trading Jake Muzzin, Kyle Clifford, Jeff Carter, Alec Martinez, and Tyler Toffoli, but did hold on to team captain Dustin Brown until he retired last month.
Dubas made a pair of major trades with Kings GM Rob Blake over the last three years, so there are solid lines of communication in place. Quick has no trade protection in place and LA likely would prefer not to spend nearly $11 million in cap space on two goalies.
The question then is whether Quick would satisfy Toronto’s needs if they cannot bring back Campbell. Similar to Fleury, the concern with a 36-year-old would be limiting his workload during the regular season so that he would healthy and rested for a playoff run. That would mean signing or trading for another goalie to split time, assuming that the book is closed on Mrazek’s tenure with the Leafs.
Toronto Maple Leafs Blogger • 
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