Leafs Said Ready To Part Ways With Curtis Joseph
Posted June 9, 2009 12:00 pm.
This article is more than 5 years old.
On a team with so many unanswered questions comes one more: who will back up Vesa Toskala in net next season? The answer isn’t Curtis Joseph, after the Leafs all but officially confirmed they won’t be asking the veteran goalie back.
Joseph is in his second tour of duty with the Buds and it hasn’t always been pretty. The Leafs have missed the playoffs for a record four seasons in a row and fans haven’t exactly been overjoyed with some of the front office moves to end that miserable streak.
Cujo exits with an .869 save average, a 3.57 goals against average and a 5-9-1 record in 21 games last season. At age 42, it’s reported he’s considering retirement after a stellar career that didn’t quite end on top.
G.M. Brian Burke is quoted as saying the Leafs plan to “move on,” but what’s less certain is who they plan to move on to.
There are reports they’ve lost confidence in highly touted successor Justin Pogge. Martin Gerber could be back, but most don’t believe he’s the answer, either.
Who is? The rumour mill is turning with speculation that the Buds will make a play for Swedish free agent Jonas Gustavsson, who isn’t aligned with any NHL team yet and is prized by many. If he winds up somewhere else, Burke may consider signing a free agent to fill the void.
For now, though, the man in the middle of this maelstrom admits he’s still waiting for word one way or the other.
Joseph says he hasn’t heard anything from the Leafs about their plans for his 2009-2010 season – or whether his regular golf game will end when training camp opens in September.
