NHL Trade Rumors: Maple Leafs Should Focus on Landing Goalie and Not Rick Nash

The Maple Leafs are one of the bazillion teams (all numbers estimated) that have been linked to Rick Nash in recent weeks.

If they land the coveted forward, so be it. But the team's larger concern might be finding an upgrade at goalie, as general manager Brian Burke addressed on Wednesday evening.

From TSN:

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Burke would not go into specifics as to what it might cost to add a goalie, but he would concede that the team has to at least explore the market before Monday.

"We haven't been dabbling in that market," he said. "But certainly it's something we have to explore to at least find out what the price-tags are."

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The Leafs are 1-5-1 in their last seven games and are currently hanging onto the eighth place in the Eastern Conference, tied with Winnipeg with 65 points.

Neither James Reimer or Jonas Gustavsson have been able to seize hold of the goaltender position, in large part because neither has been able to sustain a consistent level of play.

As Bruce Arthur of the National Post points out, "Gustavsson had a .926 save percentage and a 2.08 goals-against in January; he is at .879 and 3.67 so far in five games in February."

Gustavsson's three preventable goals allowed against New Jersey opened the door for Reimer to step back into a starting role, at least for now. Of course, his 11-8-4 record, 2.98 goals against and .903 save percentage isn't exactly reassuring.

The result of the goalie inconsistency in Toronto has been a Maple Leafs team that is 28th in the NHL in goals allowed per game (3.02) and is tied for 24th in save percentage (902).

Rick Nash won't help them in that regard. That probably isn't going to happen anyway, as Burke mentioned in the above TSN article.

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"We do not have a firm offer on the table for Rick Nash," Burke told TSN Radio 1050's Cybulski & Company. "That I can assure you."

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So for all of the talk this offseason about James van Riemsdyk, Jeff Carter and Nash potentially landing in Toronto, it looks like the team's best bet would be to find a steady netminder instead.

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