Ex-Leafs backup goalie Kallgren available for free on waivers
A former Toronto Maple Leafs backup goalie is being shopped around the NHL today.
On Tuesday, it was announced that former Leafs goalie Erik Kallgren was placed on waivers by the New Jersey Devils, ahead of his new franchise’s regular-season opener next week.
As per NHL insider Chris Johnston, Kallgren was one of 13 players placed on waivers today, giving the 29 other franchises an opportunity to put in a claim for him if interested.
Placed on NHL waivers today: Alec Regula (BOS), Daniel Renouf (BOS), Anthony Richard (BOS), Reilly Walsh (BOS), Parker Wotherspoon (BOS), Seth Griffith (EDM), Erik Kallgren (NJ), Jared Bernard-Docker (OTT), Matthew Highmore (OTT), Jacob Larsson (OTT), Egor Sokolov (OTT) …
— Chris Johnston (@reporterchris) October 3, 2023
Kallgren, a 26-year-old Swedish goalie who was originally taken at 183rd overall by the Arizona Coyotes in the 2015 NHL Entry Draft, signed with Toronto in 2021 as a free agent and saw limited action at the NHL level, while also playing 50 games for the Marlies across two seasons.
With the Devils, he’s currently sitting behind Vitek Vanecek and Akira Schmid on the team’s depth chart.
Having played for Toronto in the 2021-22 and 2022-23 seasons, Kallgren has a record of 11-6-5 in 24 games with a goals-against average of 3.04 and a save percentage of .892 for the Maple Leafs in his career, his only NHL action to date.
Could he return to the Leafs?
It’s unlikely he will come back to Toronto, however, as they’re currently set to run a tandem of Ilya Samsonov and Joseph Woll, while also having signed veteran Martin Jones earlier this summer. That’s three NHL-level goalies in the mix for Toronto, and it’s hard to imagine a reunion with Kallgren making sense at this point in time.
He’s currently on a one-year deal worth $775,000, which is also the league minimum salary for the 2023-24 season.
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