I doubt it's a lie or even misdirection. They have a 99.98% chance of making the playoffs. Giving Freddy time to heal up and rolling with Hutch & Campbell as they need to should still be good.

They may have kicked tires and found that the price for any type of improvement isn't where they need it - especially when they consider that those assets and resources are better directed towards improvements in the D or up front.
- Monkeypunk

I know. Someone suggested it was a Jedi mind trick to fool GMs into thinking we don’t really want a goalie if we actually call to trade for a goalie.

Apparently provincial Cabinet will consider a Cabinet Order to indemnify emergency doctors who turn away patients making difficult triage decisions because of Covid numbers.

We’re expected to hit 800 Covid patients in ICU. That is very bad.

Unless Freddie is out for the season, bringing in another goalie is a waste of assets.

The guy you trade for won't be as good as a healthy Freddie.

He won't be as good as Campbell is currently playing.

So are you really spending assets to bring in a #3?

Isn't Hutchinson pretty much a "top-line #3?"
- Atomic Wedgie

I agree. Most teams can't roll a bonafide NHL goaltender in the #3. I may not love Hutch, but he has 135 games of NHL experience.

Colorado right now has Jonas Johansson as their #2 goalie. A guy so diverse, he can suck for two teams.

In Tampa if something were to happen to Vasilevskiy, McElhinney has been a disaster this year. Their #3 has a .765 save percentage.

Vegas' #3 is Oscar Dansk. I thought he was good. He had a .946 in his first 3 NHL games. Then he proceeded to let in every shot he faced for the next two years. It's courteous, but unnecessary.

Chris Johnston
@reporterchris
The #canucks announce that 25 members of their organization have tested positive with a COVID-19 variant. Contact tracing reveals that one individual was infected in the community before it spread through the team.

one person...stopped a whole team

Damn, looks like you are right.

And it's NHL GMs who vote.

This is not going to happen.
- Atomic Wedgie

He’ll get votes from all North Division GM’s. Stick together Canada!!!

one person...stopped a whole team
- senstroll

Won’t happen to me.

You could be right, but why add in the "we have till the deadline" wrinkle?

If it's not something that will keep him out long term, then they should have an idea of how long he's out for and gear up for the playoffs with what they have in goal... I'm starting to think it's not a physical injury with Freddy...

Maybe it's a mental health issue..
- PatC80

Anything is possible, but there's no reason to speculate about what we don't know. For now I'm going to assume that it is simply a workable problem that the Leafs believe will be resolved. If there is no significant progress in the ailment or things get worse by the TDL, maybe their position changes and Freddy is placed on LTI.

Then I guess you look around at what you need & can afford (resource-wise).

Unless Freddie is out for the season, bringing in another goalie is a waste of assets.

The guy you trade for won't be as good as a healthy Freddie.

He won't be as good as Campbell is currently playing.

So are you really spending assets to bring in a #3?

Isn't Hutchinson pretty much a "top-line #3?"
- Atomic Wedgie

I’ve been saying this all along. If they came right out and said Freddy is done, then it’s obvious. But they aren’t saying that. No one likes to buy insurance.

one person...stopped a whole team
- senstroll

Bet it was Virtanen

No waiver exemption for Galey after tonight’s game...I assume he’s playing.

something feels off to me.
but I feel its cap related..his injury is a bit of a mystery.

but i would say the same thing if I was him even if freddy had 2 broken legs...you know...to not stirr up a sht storm
- senstroll

absolutely this

He went from playing to being out for weeks with no description on what the "injury" is. I suspect there are cap issues and contract year issues and maybe some internal conflict/strife stuff going on.

This just feels like there is so much not being talked about.

Tweet

Chris Johnston
@reporterchris
Covid's arrival hit me hard in 2020 and my challenges were minor compared to those faced by others.

Committing to a run every day helped get me through it. So with my streak due to hit a year on April 29, I'm committing to running 42.2 kms on Day 365 for
@conquercovid19

Good for you Chris Johnston. 42.2 km...jinkers

absolutely this

He went from playing to being out for weeks with no description on what the "injury" is. I suspect there are cap issues and contract year issues and maybe some internal conflict/strife stuff going on.

This just feels like there is so much not being talked about.
- Aetherial

I wonder if it's bigger than hockey.. Maybe? There is a lot that is not being said and when things are said it's very convoluted.

absolutely this

He went from playing to being out for weeks with no description on what the "injury" is. I suspect there are cap issues and contract year issues and maybe some internal conflict/strife stuff going on.

This just feels like there is so much not being talked about.
- Aetherial

It's the player's first UFA contract year. He is not going to do the Leafs a solid by pretending to be hurt or injured or anything else that would impact his future financial security. If the Leafs were gaming the system, the PA would already be involved, and given that it's Toronto, it would be a bigger story than COVID.

There is stuff that's not revealed. Maybe it is mental health as speculated. Maybe it is concussions or whiplash which he has a history of and doesn't want released because of his future contracts. Maybe he's hurt worse than we all know and the team wants to keep it quiet so they don't get fleeced in the trade market.

I wonder if it's bigger than hockey.. Maybe? There is a lot that is not being said and when things are said it's very convoluted.
- PatC80

yeah exactly, there could be some outside the game component.

It's the player's first UFA contract year. He is not going to do the Leafs a solid by pretending to be hurt or injured or anything else that would impact his future financial security. If the Leafs were gaming the system, the PA would already be involved, and given that it's Toronto, it would be a bigger story than COVID.

There is stuff that's not revealed. Maybe it is mental health as speculated. Maybe it is concussions or whiplash which he has a history of and doesn't want released because of his future contracts. Maybe he's hurt worse than we all know and the team wants to keep it quiet so they don't get fleeced in the trade market.
- Monkeypunk

yup any of that is possible

maybe he was watching more and more people every day see him play terribly and he wanted to be shut down before his next contacted degraded to a league minimum stint in Ottawa.

It's the player's first UFA contract year. He is not going to do the Leafs a solid by pretending to be hurt or injured or anything else that would impact his future financial security. If the Leafs were gaming the system, the PA would already be involved, and given that it's Toronto, it would be a bigger story than COVID.

There is stuff that's not revealed. Maybe it is mental health as speculated. Maybe it is concussions or whiplash which he has a history of and doesn't want released because of his future contracts. Maybe he's hurt worse than we all know and the team wants to keep it quiet so they don't get fleeced in the trade market.
- Monkeypunk

Who knows, just wish there was some clarity.. I mean, he's been away from the team for 3 weeks now? Would be nice to know what is going on.

yup any of that is possible

maybe he was watching more and more people every day see him play terribly and he wanted to be shut down before his next contacted degraded to a league minimum stint in Ottawa.
- Aetherial

If anything I’d expect it to be the other way round and he'd want the opportunity to put his game back together after the poop he put on the ice before he got shut down.

If anything I’d expect it to be the other way round and he'd want the opportunity to put his game back together after the poop he put on the ice before he got shut down.
- Canada Cup

How about a combination of his poopty play and an injury. Maybe he was stepping up because Campbell was injured and he finally decided that ultimately, his playing injured was costing him big time.

The thing is, it feels like there is a lot we don't know.

is he even skating? How can the team maintain there is no concern if he is not even skating less than a week away from the trade deadline.

How about a combination of his poopty play and an injury. Maybe he was stepping up because Campbell was injured and he finally decided that ultimately, his playing injured was costing him big time.

The thing is, it feels like there is a lot we don't know.

is he even skating? How can the team maintain there is no concern if he is not even skating less than a week away from the trade deadline.
- Aetherial

Read he hasn’t been on the ice.

It's the player's first UFA contract year. He is not going to do the Leafs a solid by pretending to be hurt or injured or anything else that would impact his future financial security. If the Leafs were gaming the system, the PA would already be involved, and given that it's Toronto, it would be a bigger story than COVID.

There is stuff that's not revealed. Maybe it is mental health as speculated. Maybe it is concussions or whiplash which he has a history of and doesn't want released because of his future contracts. Maybe he's hurt worse than we all know and the team wants to keep it quiet so they don't get fleeced in the trade market.
- Monkeypunk

When has the NHL ever been forthright about injury information? Why would it be anything other than a continuation of whatever injury he’s already been battling.

We can speculate about anything else - from mental health to being hit by a bus to food poisoning - they’re all equally absurd.

Also, this getting fleeced business is really overworked. GMs are going to assess Toronto’s vulnerability by their actions not what Kyle says to a reporter.

Having said we have our three goalies doesn’t help if he picks up the phone now, if anything it undermines him.

I think if we see a goalie trade we see it at the last minute. This injury seems to be something where the question is how quickly and how fully he recovers. If he recovers in time, they go with what they have. If not, they won’t know till the end and they see what’s on the market. I don’t get the sense there’s lots of goalie buyers. If the Sabres for example haven’t moved Ulmark at the end, they’re just as desperate as we are.

How about a combination of his poopty play and an injury. Maybe he was stepping up because Campbell was injured and he finally decided that ultimately, his playing injured was costing him big time.

The thing is, it feels like there is a lot we don't know.

is he even skating? How can the team maintain there is no concern if he is not even skating less than a week away from the trade deadline.
- Aetherial

from what I've read, he has not been on the ice yet. The whole thing just seems off

Bet it was Virtanen
- AdamFrench

Supposedly Virtanen missed practice, feeling like he had the flu before Gaudette tested positive.

When has the NHL ever been forthright about injury information? Why would it be anything other than a continuation of whatever injury he’s already been battling.

We can speculate about anything else - from mental health to being hit by a bus to food poisoning - they’re all equally absurd.

Also, this getting fleeced business is really overworked. GMs are going to assess Toronto’s vulnerability by their actions not what Kyle says to a reporter.

Having said we have our three goalies doesn’t help if he picks up the phone now, if anything it undermines him.

I think if we see a goalie trade we see it at the last minute. This injury seems to be something where the question is how quickly and how fully he recovers. If he recovers in time, they go with what they have. If not, they won’t know till the end and they see what’s on the market. I don’t get the sense there’s lots of goalie buyers. If the Sabres for example haven’t moved Ulmark at the end, they’re just as desperate as we are.
- Canada Cup

You are probably correct on the last minute thing, I believe that they want to use their accrued cap space before putting him on LTIR, then they can use that extra space.

How about a combination of his poopty play and an injury. Maybe he was stepping up because Campbell was injured and he finally decided that ultimately, his playing injured was costing him big time.

The thing is, it feels like there is a lot we don't know.

is he even skating? How can the team maintain there is no concern if he is not even skating less than a week away from the trade deadline.
- Aetherial

Oh, it’s possible they’re concerned big time.

Best case scenario is that they know exactly what’s going on with him, they know they have no reason to hurry given the standings and Campbell’s play and they have a set of dates when he hits the ice to skate, practice and play.

More likely is that they know exactly what is wrong, that they’re all frustrated with how long it’s taking, that they’ve set benchmarks of some sort to determine when he can hit the ice and the practice and play. Those benchmarks are likely way more conservative given his failed comeback.

Those benchmarks also likely mean making a decision about bringing someone else in depending on his progress or lack of progress at a certain date.

But that decision won’t be taken in isolation - what other moves do they want to make, how is Campbell’s health, how is Hutch playing, etc.