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Welcome back to another edition of NHL Rumours from the crew at Last Word on Hockey. We’re nearing the end of September, which means we’re almost at the start of the NHL regular season. Teams are still looking to put the finishing touches on their rosters. Tough preseason games are being played, and with that comes new hurdles for teams to jump before entering the 2025-26 season. The Leafs are certainly in tough as one member of their goaltending duo will be unavailable for an undetermined amount of time. This has the Leafs scouring the market to see what’s available. This edition of NHL Rumours focuses on just that. All NHL rumours come from their original source and are subject to change. NHL Rumours: Leafs Entertaining Adding Another Goaltender Rumour: Darren Dreger mentioned on “1st up“ that Leafs general manager Brad Treliving is contemplating adding another goalie to his roster. Analysis: Since Dreger mentioned this, the news came about the Leafs signing former goaltender James Reimer to a PTO. However, that doesn’t mean the Leafs will stop there. There are other goaltenders worth mentioning. Ilya Samsonov Let’s start with another former Leafs’ goaltender, Ilya Samsonov. Samsonov played two seasons in Toronto from 2022-2024, where he posted a record of 50-17-13 with a goals against average of 2.71 and a save percentage of .905. He also recorded seven shutouts. Samsonov moved on to Vegas, where he put up decent numbers last season, securing a record of 16-9-4 with a goals against of 2.82 and a save percentage of .891. He primarily served as the backup to Adin Hill, a role he would also assume with the Leafs. Stolarz would still control the net; however, bringing in a backup familiar with Toronto could serve the team well. He’s also only 28 years old, so he still has time to prove himself and potentially eat up some more starts. Easing the load on Anthony Stolarz. Connor Ingram Another name the Leafs could look into is Connor Ingram. Ingram hasn’t played an NHL game since February 22nd, 2025. He received help from the Player Assistance program after he struggled following the passing of his mother to breast cancer. Now, after getting the help he needed, he is ready to return to the NHL and is looking for a fresh start. Ingram was placed on waivers by the Utah Mammoth and cleared as no one claimed him. However, with the Leafs looking to move some cap, specifically up front, there could be a deal to be had between the two teams. Quality Options All Around Whether the Leafs decide to chase one of the names mentioned, elect to sign Reimer off his PTO or run with Dennis Hildeby, they have quality options available to them. Hildeby only has six games of NHL experience, so it would be shocking to see them go that route. Especially given Stolarz’s lack of experience and injury history. We’d expect the Leafs to try to find a quality backup for Stolarz, even for the short term, while there is still so much uncertainty surrounding Joseph Woll.
