LOS ANGELES, CA – SEPTEMBER 29: Goalie Jhonas Enroth #1 of the Los Angeles Kings makes a save against the Anaheim Ducks during preseason at Staples Center on September 29, 2015 in Los Angeles, California. The Ducks won 2-1 in overtime. (Photo by Stephen Dunn/Getty Images)

The Toronto Maple Leafs continue goaltender shakeup by signing underrated Enroth to one-year deal

The Toronto Maple Leafs continue to upgrade between the pipes.

Toronto announced the signing of goaltender Jhonas Enroth on Monday to a one-year, $750K deal.

Now, usually a backup goaltender signing with one of the league’s worst teams isn’t a big deal, but signing Enroth is a fantastic move for the Leafs. The Swedish netminder made my “goaltenders teams should target” list, earlier last month, drawing favorable comparisons to 27-year-old New York Islanders netminder Thomas Greiss. Enroth has been consistent, posting a .928 even strength save percentage in three of the last four seasons. In 16 games with the L.A. Kings in 2015-16, he went 7-5 with a 2.17 goals against average and a .922 save percentage. The point is, Enroth is a capable goaltender.

How does the Leafs’ goaltending stack up to last season should Enroth come aboard?

Toronto finished 25th in the NHL with a .918 even strength save percentage. The season ended with the now-departed Jonathan Bernier bottoming out at a low .912 marker in 38 appearances, while Garret Sparks finished below .900 at .898 in 17 games. Aside from James Reimer, who was dealt at the trade deadline, Maple Leafs goaltenders were a liability. Bernier devolved like many starters in the past have in the Toronto spotlight. Sparks, who was an excellent story grinding his way through the ranks to get to the NHL, looked overmatched at times. Toronto gave up the fourth-highest 30.8 even strength shots against per sixty, so to be fair, being a goalie in T.O. wasn’t easy.

Toronto’s new goalies, despite playing on much better defensive teams, posted significantly higher markers than Leafs counterparts. Newly minted starter Frederik Andersen led Ducks goalies with a .929 even strength save percentage in 43 games. Enroth topped Kings goalies with a .937 percentage, albeit in a small 16 game sample size. Neither goaltender has been a bonafide number one, but they should instill confidence from fans. The Leafs obviously aren’t the Kings or Ducks, so to expect Andersen and Enroth to face the same workload isn’t fair. But, both are upgrades to what the Leafs had. Andersen can prove he’s a number one starter, as Enroth should soak in enough starts to prove he’s more than a backup. It’s a nice tandem.

The Leafs desperately craved a legitimate backup goalie following the trade of James Reimer. Sparks and Marlies goalie Antoine Bibeau aren’t good enough to be counted on for more than a few games. Signing Enroth gives Toronto stability. Enroth could also step in as the starter in case Andersen goes down with injury. He deserves a chance to get 20-30+ starts, and with the Leafs, it’s a realistic possibility. It’s easy to see why the Leafs would be an enticing situation for Enroth. At $750,000, there’s virtually no risk for Toronto.

Enroth is a backup, but he’s a very good one. Considering Toronto is rebuilding, having two trustworthy veteran goaltenders to count on is much better than going with unproven youngsters at this point. Is Enroth the long-term solution? No. Will he help the team in the present? Absolutely.

[Stats via Hockey Analysis]

About Liam McGuire

Social +Staff writer for The Comeback & Awful Announcing. Liammcguirejournalism@gmail.com

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