So long Monster, I truly wish you well

Leafs have Reimer and 3 AHLers in the nets for 2012-2013

In another travesty of epic proportions, more nails were placed in the Allaire and Gustavsson maple coffins tonight as the Leafs were eliminated by 3 half-snapper, top cheddar shots that could have been saved. All 3 goals high on glove side. The problem is Allaire's system emphasizes protecting holes 3,4, and 5, leaving the top corners open. Shooters know this, and have been exploiting the knowledge for months.

So we have James Reimer, currently ranked #3 in my Top 25 Toronto Maple leafs 25 years old or younger, behind only Jake Gardiner (#1) and Phil Kessel (#2). The problem is that of the next 3 guys, Ben Scrivens, Jussi Rynnas (#20) and Mark Owuya (#8), none have played more than a few games in the NHL, and Owuya played most of the year in the ECHL.

Burke now in market for big-time goalie

All 3 of those Leafs prospects need to play at the AHL level or higher next year, and none of them can be guaranteed an NHL spot. This means one of them needs to be traded, and based on 2011-2012, Jussi would be the man on the block. Playing well in his NHL debut tonight likely increased his value so that's good, and the loss will also help us get a better draft pick.

What goalies are available? More than people will tell you about. You see, the free agent names are the ones everyone talks about, and there are many of those:

Goaltenders - 2012 NHL Unrestricted Free Agents
Player	2011-12 Team	11-12 Cap Hit	Contract Notes
Cristobal Huet	Chicago Blackhawks	$5,625,000
Martin Brodeur	New Jersey Devils	$5,200,000
Dwayne Roloson	Tampa Bay Lightning	$3,000,000
Antero Niittymaki	San Jose Sharks	$2,000,000
Chris Mason	Winnipeg Jets	$1,850,000
Michael Leighton	Philadelphia Flyers	$1,550,000
Dan Ellis	Anaheim Ducks	$1,500,000
Tomas Vokoun	Washington Capitals	$1,500,000
Jonas Gustavsson	Toronto Maple Leafs	$1,350,000
Johan Hedberg	New Jersey Devils	$1,250,000
Scott Clemmensen	Florida Panthers	$1,200,000
Alex Auld	Ottawa Senators	$1,000,000
Martin Biron	New York Rangers	$875,000
Johan Backlund	Philadelphia Flyers	$800,000
Ty Conklin	Detroit Red Wings	$750,000
Josh Harding	Minnesota Wild	$750,000
Andrew Raycroft	Dallas Stars	$650,000
Yann Danis	Edmonton Oilers	$650,000
Curtis McElhinney	Phoenix Coyotes	$625,000
Al Montoya	New York Islanders	$601,000
Ray Emery	Chicago Blackhawks	$600,000
Curtis Sanford	Columbus Blue Jackets	$600,000
Brent Johnson	Pittsburgh Penguins	$600,000
Brian Elliott	St. Louis Blues	$600,000	Re-signed with the Blues. 2 years, $3.6 million.
Evgeni Nabokov	New York Islanders	$570,000
Nathan Lawson	Montreal Canadiens	$550,000
Mike McKenna	Ottawa Senators	$550,000
Drew Macintyre	Buffalo Sabres	$525,000
David Leggio	Buffalo Sabres	$525,000
Jason Bacashihua	Philadelphia Flyers	$525,000
Scott Munroe	Pittsburgh Penguins	$525,000
Matt Climie	Vancouver Canucks	$525,000
Dany Sabourin	Washington Capitals	$525,000
Peter Mannino	Winnipeg Jets	$525,000

The Leafs are a big bucks franchise and can also afford to bid on restricted free agent goalies in a sign and trade deal, and to take a high-priced goalie from a team looking to shed salary. Look for a veteran signing, likely from the above list, as that allows us to retain assets. The free agent and Reimer battle for the #1 spot, Scrivens and Owuya beginning 2012-2013 with the Marlies, with one caveat. If Scrivens leads the Marlies to a Calder Cup and is a significant contributor to the cause, he could elevate himself into the mix. He's had 5 victories and 3 shutouts in his last 6 games, so don't count Ben out.

Sources: http://www.sportscity.com/nhl/2012-nhl-free-agents-unrestricted-listed-by-position/#Goalie,