John Chayka is finally about to solve his biggest issue with a veteran goalie

Sergei Bobrovsky to Toronto isn't some wild internet theory anymore. Elliotte Friedman put real weight behind it Tuesday morning.

On the FAN Hockey Show, Friedman said his feeling is that Toronto makes a lot of sense for Bobrovsky, and that Bobrovsky makes a lot of sense for them.

His reasoning is simple. The Maple Leafs have salary cap space to work with, and they already have familiar faces in that net mix.

Friedman specifically pointed to Anthony Stolarz and Steven Lorentz as players who know Bobrovsky well.

That matters more than it might sound. Chemistry in a crease room isn't nothing, especially for a 37-year-old netminder heading into a transition year.

Bobrovsky posted a .876 save percentage across 52 games this season in Florida, with 20 wins and four shutouts. Those are not the numbers of a goalie who's locked into the net every single night anymore.

Stolarz, meanwhile, played 26 games for Toronto and posted a stronger .893 save percentage, going 8-11-2.

Why Toronto's crease picture is suddenly interesting

Toronto finished the season at 32-36-14, good for 78 points and ranked 28th overall. That's a roster looking for answers, not just adding a name for the headline.

A 37-year-old goalie carrying a $10,000,000 cap hit isn't a cheap shopping trip either. Toronto would need real flexibility to make this work, and Friedman framed it as a fit, not a lock.

Pairing him with Stolarz creates an interesting tandem question. Does this become a true 1A and 1B, or does it push someone out of the picture entirely?

Florida's side of this hasn't been addressed publicly yet. The Panthers finished 40-38-4 with 84 points, and Bobrovsky has been a fixture there for years.

Is Florida ready to move on from a goalie who backstopped this franchise through some of its biggest moments? That's the piece nobody's confirmed.

Friedman's reporting carries weight, but it's still a feeling, not a transaction. Bob's been around long enough to know the gap between those two things can be wide or it can disappear overnight.

For now, Toronto fans have something real to chew on. Whether it actually happens is the part that still needs sorting out.