Toronto Maple Leafs sign Martin Jones to one-year contract

The Toronto Maple Leafs have signed Martin Jones to a one-year contract worth $875,000. Jones half of the Seattle Kraken goaltending tandem along with Philipp Grubauer this past season. Although he didn’t have the fanciest stats, Jones put up a 27-13-3 record and was a big part of the first ever postseason berth in franchise history.

That was the most wins he earned in a season since the talented 2018-19 San Jose Sharks team. Statistically, Jones hasn’t been an above average goalie in GAA or SV% since 2017-18 but he has a knack for ending up on teams that take care of him in front of the net.

Jones is a 33-year-old veteran who was never drafted into the NHL. He played four junior seasons with the Calgary Hitmen of the WHL, before going pro with the Manchester Monarchs of the AHL in the 2010-11 season in the Los Angeles Kings’ organisation. He ended up being one of the strongest AHL goalies to ever play in the Kings’ organisation, spending three seasons in Manchester, New Hampshire.

The Vancouver, BC native proved to be a quality find for the Kings when he played parts of the 2013-14 and 2014-15 seasons in the NHL with the Kings. He notched a record of 16-11-2 with a .923 SV% over those two seasons.

Jones spent the next six seasons as the starter for the Sharks and backstopped them to a Stanley Cup finals appearance in 2015-16 and a conference finals appearance in 2018-19. He is ranked 11th among all active goalies in games played with 444. He will be a useful stop-gap for the Maple Leafs to shelter young goalie Joseph Woll into a more suitable role.

At $875,000 for one year, this contract bears no risk for the Maple Leafs but could pay off for them if Jones can regain some of the magic he showed with the Kings and Sharks.