Value of: Garret Sparks

[airbus220]

McElhinney is UFA after this season. Sparks is still a RFA after this season. If McElhinney leaves next summer, the Leafs are in the situation where they don't know if if they have NHL backup.

Do you think McElhinney can't be extended?
Do you think Sparks should be qualified?

What I really like is how they match the preseason games
Sparks vs McElhinney
Andersen vs Pickard
and so far Sparks is out and Andersen isn't better than Pickard.

It would hurt to lose Pickard through waivers and what does it say about Vegas who played the Cup finals with Lagace on the bench and prefered to trade Pickard for peanuts.

 

[FerrisRox]

McElhinney is UFA after this season. Sparks is still a RFA after this season. If McElhinney leaves next summer, the Leafs are in the situation where they don't know if if they have NHL backup.

Who cares?

Back up goalies are easy to acquire and cost nothing. Right now any team in the league could bring in Steve Mason or Kari Lehtonen to be their backup and all it would cost them is a low-ball contract. There's zero fear in your back up goalie leaving via free agent. Every year there's a musical chairs scenario with backups.

 

[GodEmperor]

You do realize this kinda contradicts with the OP post, right?

There's many Leafs fans who completely disagree with my assertion and I'm sure some GMs as well.

There are some that actually have the audacity to put him over Mac.

 

[Arthur Morgan]

I think we will go into season with 3 goalies and figure out what to do later. I would like to see Sparks get the back up. see how he looks

 

[MagicalRazor]

Yah Sparks will be traded , he won't clear waivers but there is no room for him on the Leafs , I liked pickards game last night much better than sparks last 2

 

[Doctor No]

Absolutely lit... even tho he's the ONLY maple leaf goalie ever and one of a handful or less league wide who put up a wall and got a shutout in his debut. Laughable logic you have there.

Here's the complete list of NHL goaltenders with shutouts in their league debut:

Which goaltenders have recorded shutouts in their NHL/WHA debut?

Yes, some of these goaltenders (Tiny Thompson) have gone on to great careers. Many others have not.

 

[Doctor No]

I love McElhinney, but the Leafs are better off riding Sparks as their #2 at this point unless they think that he'd benefit developmentally from starting 4/5 of the time in the AHL (which seems unlikely).

 

[LEAFANFORLIFE23]

Don’t you think it’s a bad decision to let a goalie go, who played amazing in the AHL because we have a suitable back up? What if Sparks has the ability to take the number 1 spot from Andersen. The last 2 October’s Andersen started cold and didn’t play well for a few games in the playoffs. You don’t just give up on assets because someone is in front of them. Let Sparks try to take the job away from him.

He doesn't even look like he can beat out Mac for the backup job there is no chance he takes Andersen's job.

Look he was drafted in 2011 that's 7 years ago he's 25 and still hasn't earned a spot, if hwas a forward or D man we'd be calling him a ust and rightly so, but he's a goalie so for some reason people like you hold out hope that he will do something that matters at the NHL level.

He was drafted in 2011 that's 7 years ago if he was going to be anything he'd be it now.

 

[LEAFANFORLIFE23]

I love McElhinney, but the Leafs are better off riding Sparks as their #2 at this point unless they think that he'd benefit developmentally from starting 4/5 of the time in the AHL (which seems unlikely).

You need to to take a job and he hasn't been as good as Mac in the pre season and it hasn't been close

 

[lifelonghockeyfan]

Do you think McElhinney can't be extended?
Do you think Sparks should be qualified?

What I really like is how they match the preseason games
Sparks vs McElhinney
Andersen vs Pickard
and so far Sparks is out and Andersen isn't better than Pickard.

It would hurt to lose Pickard through waivers and what does it say about Vegas who played the Cup finals with Lagace on the bench and prefered to trade Pickard for peanuts.

Just looking long term, who is going to be the better goalies is wha the Leafs are trying to figure out.
I can't see Pickard being claimed on waivers. He wasn't claimed last year and he was mostly the backup with the Marlies. You make a waiver claim and that player has to be on the NHL roster.

 

[Legion34]

Being good in the AHL means nothing

Aldege (Baz) Bastien Memorial Award award winners at hockeydb.com

Since 2000:
9/18 are NHLers
2/18 are what I would consider to have been an excellent starter at one point (Miller, Murray)

And Sparks has a ton of technical issues that Murray and Miller did not have.

50 percent being nhlers with 2 cup wins and a vezina? That’s nothing?

 

[zeke]

Career AHL: 121gms, .927sv%, Goalie of the Year, Calder Cup

 

[Doctor No]

Career AHL: 121gms, .927sv%, Goalie of the Year, Calder Cup

True, but at some point, you'd think that the Maple Leafs would expect him to play well at the NHL level.

 

[zeke]

True, but at some point, you'd think that the Maple Leafs would expect him to play well at the NHL level.

I mean, he's only had one shot at it, at age 22 playing for the ultimate tank team at the end of the season.

 

[airbus220]

Just looking long term, who is going to be the better goalies is wha the Leafs are trying to figure out.
I can't see Pickard being claimed on waivers. He wasn't claimed last year and he was mostly the backup with the Marlies. You make a waiver claim and that player has to be on the NHL roster.

Last season in the AHL was a lost year for Pickard, his last year with COL counts much more and now the preseason counts, small sample but Andersen isn't better so far.

I wish they would allow Pickard to have a chance but he isn't allowed. Last season they painted Andersen's stats who didn't play b2b and team b2b games. Even Bernier had better EVsavepct stats on a much weaker team and he played b2b and team b2b games. Babcock threw Bernier under the bus and Andersen was his choice. They should have figured out that Andersen doesn't play better when playing many games but that would be admitting a mistake. Last regular season only Talbot started more games than Andersen and we all know what it did for Talbot playing so many games. For TOR it did losing the playoffs. What a coach to throw players under the bus to hide his mistakes, the Babcock ego show.

 

[jaric1862]

He wont get anything, as he hasn't shown that he can be a backup in the NHL (Not saying that he can't be, but there just simply isn't evidence that teams can look at, as he's never been placed in that position). I think if he goes on waivers though, its almost guaranteed that a team will pick him up (i'm thinking Washington would like him)

 

[Chan790]

Yes, of course, McBackup's save percentage actually means he's the best back up goalie in the league and therefore it's wise to keep him instead of someone well over a decade younger.

Sounds like brilliant asset management.

If you consider the Cup to be the only asset of real value and the value-window to be the immediate future, it's beyond brilliant.

Imagine a scenario where Andersen gets injured at mid-season for a lengthy period of time...say 25 games. Which goalie do you want in net? The way I see it, you're safely still in the hunt with 1-2 additional losses in front of McE...Sparks is a crapshoot.

You don't gamble unnecessarily with your roster when you're playing for the big prize unless there is big upside to the risk.

Unless you think Sparks has the talent to take the starting job from Andersen this year (or possibly next), this is the easiest roster decision the Leafs have to make this year. You keep the guy you know can do the job you're filling and risk losing the guy you're uncertain can do the job.

 

[FerrisRox]

If you consider the Cup to be the only asset of real value and the value-window to be the immediate future, it's beyond brilliant.

Imagine a scenario where Andersen gets injured at mid-season for a lengthy period of time...say 25 games. Which goalie do you want in net? The way I see it, you're safely still in the hunt with 1-2 additional losses in front of McE...Sparks is a crapshoot.

This scenario is flawed to me from the get go, because with the defense they currently have, I don't consider the Maple Leafs a Cup contender this year. That window opens if and when they add a couple of blue liners to the team that move the needle defensively.

That being said, if Fred gets injured, I don't want either one of those guys. The Leafs gave up more shots that any team in the league last year and Fred faced more rubber than any goalie in the league. The notion that you could remove him from the equation and plug in McIllheney and that's gonna work is laughable regardless of what he did last year in a small sample size.

 

[TGWL]

7th or waiver in my opinion. I suppose leafs could roll with the 3 goalies and try to get him some time but I don't think he'll have a chance to show anything before either being sent for a 7th or placed on waiver.

 

[Toronto makebeleifs]

Sadly I doubt sparks has any value. He could eventually carve out a career as a decent backup but imo lacks the hockey sense to be a starter in the show. The leafs may get a 4th or 5th if they opt to trade him to a team that's lower on the waiver priority line.

 

[habsgirl5000]

if i am toronto i keep sparks......i think he could be an excellent #1 in the future

 

[LEAFANFORLIFE23]

I think we will go into season with 3 goalies and figure out what to do later. I would like to see Sparks get the back up. see how he looks

He's looked like shit

 

[Romkey]

If he didn't have to go on waivers, probably a 5th rounder or something. But since he has to clear waivers, nobody will give up anything

 

[BBB24]

Yah Sparks will be traded , he won't clear waivers but there is no room for him on the Leafs , I liked pickards game last night much better than sparks last 2

He will clear easily, he is a AHL goalie at best, just about every team in the league has a tender that is equal or better than him already in the AHL. no one will give up an assist for him, not even close, nor will teams waste their time claiming him to only put him back on waivers.

 

[dangomon]

A better question may be what his value is if he clears waivers. I think the Leafs would like to keep him at that point, however a team may be willing to give up an asset if they can store him in the AHL until needed, like Pickard last year.