John Chayka could be about to shake up the entire NHL with bold move

The Toronto Maple Leafs aren't done in net. Insider Chris Johnston said this morning that the Leafs front office "certainly don't think they're done addressing" the goaltending position this offseason.

That's a loaded statement after what just happened.

Toronto surrendered 299 goals this season. That's a -46 goal differential, worst in their division by a wide margin.

The numbers in goal weren't encouraging. Anthony Stolarz posted an .893 save percentage across 26 appearances. Samuel Ersson was worse, stopping pucks at an .869 clip over 33 games.

Only Dennis Hildeby gave them something to feel okay about, going .912 in 20 starts. Three wins. Twenty starts. That's not a number you build around.

The Leafs finished 32-36-14. They went 2-7-1 in their last 10, and lost their final seven straight.

Toronto's goal problem goes deeper than the crease

Auston Matthews played only 60 games. Even so, the team scored 253 goals on the season, which isn't catastrophically low. The real issue bled out from the other end.

Giving up 3.6 goals a game and finishing 28th overall is what happens when the crease becomes a revolving door. Three different goalies, no clear starter, no structural identity.

Johnston's comment wasn't framed as a rumor. It was phrased as organizational certainty, which suggests the Leafs aren't waiting to see what the market brings. They're going to move on this.

The real question is what kind of upgrade is actually available. A proven starter at this stage of the offseason isn't going to come cheap, and the Leafs are already carrying Auston Matthews at $13.25 million against the cap.

William Nylander is at $11.5 million. Matthew Knies just hit $7.75 million. The room to add a top goalie without moving a body is narrow.

Toronto has spent years convincing itself a good enough solution between the pipes would be fine. A 299-goal season is the answer to that argument. Now they're stuck trying to fix it in June, competing against every other team that needs the same thing.