• HOME
  • NHL Teams
    • North Division
      • Calgary Flames
      • Edmonton Oilers
      • Montreal Canadiens
      • Ottawa Senators
      • Toronto Maple Leafs
      • Vancouver Canucks
      • Winnipeg Jets
    • East Division
      • Boston Bruins
      • Buffalo Sabres
      • New Jersey Devils
      • New York Islanders
      • New York Rangers
      • Philadelphia Flyers
      • Pittsburgh Penguins
      • Washington Capitals
    • Central Division
      • Carolina Hurricanes
      • Chicago Blackhawks
      • Columbus Blue Jackets
      • Dallas Stars
      • Detroit Red Wings
      • Florida Panthers
      • Nashville Predators
      • Tampa Bay Lightning
    • West Division
      • Anaheim Ducks
      • Arizona Coyotes
      • Colorado Avalanche
      • Los Angeles Kings
      • Minnesota Wild
      • San Jose Sharks
      • Seattle Kraken
      • St. Louis Blues
      • Vegas Golden Knights
  • Headlines
  • NHL Rumors
  • NHL Prospects
  • World Juniors
  • Archives
  • Podcast Network
  • More…
    • CHL
      • Ontario Hockey League
      • Quebec Major Junior Hockey League
      • Western Hockey League
    • Columns
    • Women’s Hockey
    • Other Leagues
    • NHL Entry Draft
    • Books
    • NHL History
  • Log in
The Hockey Writers
  • Site Index
  • NHL Salary Caps
  • Hockey 101: A Beginner’s Guide
  • Join Our Team
  • Free Newsletter
  • Store
  • Log in
The Hockey Writers
  • HOME
  • NHL Teams
    • North Division
      • Calgary Flames
      • Edmonton Oilers
      • Montreal Canadiens
      • Ottawa Senators
      • Toronto Maple Leafs
      • Vancouver Canucks
      • Winnipeg Jets
    • East Division
      • Boston Bruins
      • Buffalo Sabres
      • New Jersey Devils
      • New York Islanders
      • New York Rangers
      • Philadelphia Flyers
      • Pittsburgh Penguins
      • Washington Capitals
    • Central Division
      • Carolina Hurricanes
      • Chicago Blackhawks
      • Columbus Blue Jackets
      • Dallas Stars
      • Detroit Red Wings
      • Florida Panthers
      • Nashville Predators
      • Tampa Bay Lightning
    • West Division
      • Anaheim Ducks
      • Arizona Coyotes
      • Colorado Avalanche
      • Los Angeles Kings
      • Minnesota Wild
      • San Jose Sharks
      • Seattle Kraken
      • St. Louis Blues
      • Vegas Golden Knights
  • Headlines
  • NHL Rumors
  • NHL Prospects
  • World Juniors
  • Archives
  • Podcast Network
  • More…
    • CHL
      • Ontario Hockey League
      • Quebec Major Junior Hockey League
      • Western Hockey League
    • Columns
    • Women’s Hockey
    • Other Leagues
    • NHL Entry Draft
    • Books
    • NHL History
Home
Toronto Maple Leafs

McElhinney Earning Keep With Leafs

By Peter Ferrell December 12th, 2017

Facebook Twitter LinkedIn WhatsApp

When Curtis McElhinney was claimed off waivers by the Toronto Maple Leafs in January of last season, the consensus was it was a stop-gap move to give starter Frederik Andersen some much-needed relief while allowing the Leafs’ young goaltending talent to develop in the American Hockey League.

However, when the veteran netminder was re-signed this past offseason, more than a few eyebrows were raised around the National Hockey League. After all, the goaltending market had been soft the year or two previous; was McElhinney really the best the Leafs could get?

The writing then seemed to be on the wall for McElhinney when the Leafs made a deal with the Vegas Golden Knights earlier this season to bring in Calvin Pickard, a younger – and, by all accounts, better – puckstopper.

And yet, McElhinney’s still here, still starting games, and just shut out Connor McDavid and the Edmonton Oilers 1-0 Sunday night in Toronto.

McElhinney Better Than Expected for Leafs

When McElhinney was first claimed by the Leafs, one can forgive Leafs fans and pundits for having been somewhat sceptical. Yes, McElhinney held a .924 save percentage in seven appearances with the Columbus Blue Jackets, but he was still a 33-year-old journeyman with a career .905 SV%.

Curtis McElhinney Columbus Blue Jackets

Despite a strong start to the 2016-17 campaign, Curtis McElhinney was waived by the Columbus Blue Jackets. Lucky for the Leafs. (Amy Irvin / The Hockey Writers)

Despite posting a very mediocre 6-7 record in 14 games with Toronto, McElhinney registered a thoroughly serviceable .914 SV% and showed up when it counted including, amongst other games, a win in relief against the Pittsburgh Penguins to clinch the Leafs’ first playoff berth since 2013.

And this season? After the game against the Oilers (a 41-save shutout), McElhinney is 3-2 with a sparkling .925 SV%. Like every goalie, he’d probably like to have a goal or two back. And he was certainly given some help by his goalposts Sunday night.

But a backup goaltender that keeps his head above water and gives his team a chance to win every single night, and all for less than $1 million per season? Most teams in the league would kill for that.

Only time will tell if McElhinney will continue to surpass expectations. But the Leafs’ backup goaltender position certainly looks to be his for the foreseeable future.

McElhinney Appeals to Emotion

So, it’s clear McElhinney’s been earning his keep between the pipes, but what about in hearts and minds?

Well, what stands out in your mind when you think about Curtis McElhinney? There were the two breakaway stops on Connor McDavid Sunday night (amongst many other highlights), those are probably front and centre.

But how about him making the Leafs’ biggest save in over a decade when he robbed Sidney Crosby (of all people) to secure a crucial late-season win last spring?

And let’s not forget the way he first burst onto the Maple Leafs scene against the Ottawa Senators, making 35 saves on 37 shots to win his very first Battle of Ontario.

My point is, McElhinney is the type of goaltender that makes you happy. Yes, armchair netminders (myself included) might squirm when we see his technique and get a bit clenched whenever he ventures outside the crease, but no one can deny he’s a thoroughly entertaining goaltender to watch.

While literally every generation likes to talk about how wonderful the “good ol’ days” were (oftentimes despite mountains of evidence to the contrary), they might actually have a point with goaltending. Not so much from a quality standpoint of course, but damn, was it ever fun! If the goal of modern netminding is to be quiet and restrained in the crease, McElhinney’s style is a pinball machine; bouncing around, flippers flapping, and yet still, somehow, racking up points.

Boy, is it ever fun to cheer for.

McElhinney a Good Insurance Policy for Leafs

No matter what you think of his technique, keeping McElhinney around isn’t such a bad idea for the Leafs.

Second Fiddle Can’t Fizzle

Every good team needs a reliable backup and, even if McElhinney hasn’t proven to be the most reliable (i.e. giving consistent performances, whenever called upon), he has a penchant for the spectacular including, as we saw against the Oilers, an ability to steal games. That’s a valuable trait that should give the Leafs some confidence in giving Frederik Andersen the night off every once in a while.

Injuries (*Knock on Wood*)

Next, like all teams, the Leafs are not immune to injuries, making a serviceable backup essential for more than just fatigue prevention. Even if Pickard, who has some experience as a starter (mostly consisting of getting shellacked in Colorado), is tapped to play more games, McElhinney appears to be both willing and able to rise to the occasion to cover the Leafs’ netminding needs, whatever they may be.

McElhinney Experienced, Understands Role

Third, the Leafs have been running their entire organisation (their ECHL, AHL and NHL teams) as one cohesive unit for a few years now. Especially considering the AHL’s Toronto Marlies are (obviously) located in the same city as the Leafs (they both practise out of the MasterCard Centre for Hockey Excellence, too), I can’t imagine the Leafs wouldn’t take advantage of McElhinney’s veteran status and have him contribute to the development of Toronto’s goaltending prospects.

As long as Andersen keeps up his sterling play, he won’t be ceding the Leafs’ crease anytime soon. Some McElhinney mentorship should go a long way towards preparing the netminders of tomorrow for NHL duty, whether that be as a backup, batterymate or even a starter.

Curtis McElhinney: Trade Bait?

And hey, with a short-term contract (one more year after this one at a very affordable $850,000), a team in need of goaltending depth for a playoff run might give the Leafs something for McElhinney at one of the next two trade deadlines.

Curtis McElhinney Toronto Maple Leafs

Curtis McElhinney has, thus far, provided the Leafs with everything a good backup should. (Dan Hamilton / USA TODAY Sports)

I mean, ideally, your backup’s getting splinters in his rear during the playoffs. But even the most successful teams need depth, whether that be for injury coverage or even just a shock to the system.

Scott Darling won three opening-round games for the Chicago Blackhawks in 2015, after Corey Crawford struggled early on against the Nashville Predators. Crawford would return to the crease en route to (yet another) Chicago Stanley Cup, but backup Darling played a critical role in making that championship possible in the first place.

McElhinney Showing Leafs’ Faith Well-Placed

Now, I can’t picture head coach Mike Babcock or general manager Lou Lamoriello being prone to excessive emotion or sentiment towards anything, let alone backup goaltenders. So McElhinney could well be put on waivers an hour after this article is published.

But that would really be a shame because, as much as the odds – and the future – have been stacked against him since he arrived in Toronto, he has, time and again, proven he belongs.

Toronto Maple Leafs

  • Tags
  • Curtis McElhinney
  • Top Story
Facebook Twitter LinkedIn WhatsApp

Get theScore App Now!
Recent Posts
Jan 16th 6:10 PM
Hockey History

25 Best Senators’ Memories From 25 Years at Canadian Tire Centre

Jan 16th 6:00 PM
Anaheim Ducks

Ducks Prospects: Colangelo, Andersson, Drew & More

Jan 16th 5:50 PM
Chicago Blackhawks

Blackhawks Need Taxi Squad to Drive Better Results in Net

Jan 16th 5:40 PM
Women's Hockey

Toronto Six 2021 Season Preview

Jan 16th 5:30 PM
Winnipeg Jets

Jets Have a lot of Options to Deal With Laine

Jan 16th 5:20 PM
Dallas Stars

Stars’ COVID-19 Cases Could Cost Them

Jan 16th 4:25 PM
Column

Maple Leafs News & Rumors: Campbell, Andersen, Tavares & Robertson

Jan 16th 4:15 PM
Tampa Bay Lightning

Lightning Look to Benefit From Week Off

Jan 16th 3:05 PM
Montreal Canadiens

Josh Anderson’s Canadiens Debut Should Make Marc Bergevin Proud

Jan 16th 2:55 PM
Other Leagues

OHL Would Benefit From 24-Game Season

Editor’s Picks
World Junior Championship All-Time Leading Scorers

World Junior Championship All-Time Leading Scorers

2021 Guide To the World Junior Championship

2021 Guide To the World Junior Championship

Masthead

Newsletters

RSS Feeds

Privacy Statement

Contact Us

About THW…

Founded in 2009, The Hockey Writers is a premier destination for news and information on everything hockey. Updated daily with news and features from over 130 writers worldwide. Over 2 million monthly readers now come to THW for their hockey fix.

© The Hockey Writers 2020. All rights reserved.
logo
  • HOME
  • Hockey Headlines
  • NHL Rumors
  • North Division
    • Calgary Flames
    • Edmonton Oilers
    • Montreal Canadiens
    • Ottawa Senators
    • Toronto Maple Leafs
    • Vancouver Canucks
    • Winnipeg Jets
  • East Division
    • Boston Bruins
    • Buffalo Sabres
    • New Jersey Devils
    • New York Islanders
    • New York Rangers
    • Philadelphia Flyers
    • Pittsburgh Penguins
    • Washington Capitals
  • Central Division
    • Carolina Hurricanes
    • Chicago Blackhawks
    • Columbus Blue Jackets
    • Dallas Stars
    • Detroit Red Wings
    • Florida Panthers
    • Nashville Predators
    • Tampa Bay Lightning
  • West Division
    • Anaheim Ducks
    • Arizona Coyotes
    • Colorado Avalanche
    • Los Angeles Kings
    • Minnesota Wild
    • San Jose Sharks
    • Seattle Kraken
    • St Louis Blues
    • Vegas Golden Knights
  • World Juniors
  • CHL
    • Ontario Hockey League
    • Quebec Major Junior Hockey League
    • Western Hockey League
  • THW Podcast Network
  • Store
  • FREE Newsletter
  • Search THW
  • More…
    • Join Our Team
    • The THW Archives
    • Prospects
    • The Goalie Page
    • NHL Salary Cap Information