Should The Maple Leafs Give Pogge A Shot?

Given the beating that the Toronto Maple Leafs took last night in Boston, there is a glaring weakness that has begun to appear for this team. Suddenly, the Leafs goaltending is looking not-so-solid. Last night's performance from Vesa Toskala was reminiscent of a time when our net was occupied by Andrew Raycroft. This was the second weak showing in a row for him, and the 3rd consecutive game that the Maple Leafs have lost. He also allowed 5 goals last week against the Devils, though the Leafs managed to win that one in an exciting shootout. All of a sudden, a team who's focus was to be in the top half of the league for goals against is now ranked a dismal 27th with 48 goals against. In short, the Toronto Maple Leafs are keeping the puck out of the net about as well as a slice of swiss cheese.

Of course, this isn't to say that the Leafs troubles in this department are entirely the goalie's fault. The defense, for whatever reason, has decided to stop covering the points. Actually, they've pretty much decided to stop covering everywhere. This breakdown in coverage is a dream come true for any opposing defenseman with a decent point shot. The recent penalty trouble the Maple Leafs have gotten into isn't making things easier either. However, a good NHL goalie is expected to make some tough saves on most nights, and even the top teams in the league will call upon their goalie to bail them out of a tight situation once in awhile. Lately, Vesa Toskala has simply come up short in delivering that for the Maple Leafs. I had hoped he would rebound in last night's game against Boston, but instead he continued his inconsistent play with his worse showing yet. It seemed as almost every shot from the point would find its way into the net. A starting goaltender just can not let every point shot glide by him the way Toskala did for the Leafs. Those are saves that just have to be made.

Now, this situation goes from bad to worse when you remember that his backup is a 41 year old senior citizen who simply cannot move as quickly in the crease as he once did. The Toronto Maple Leafs are going to be hard-pressed to win even a single game with Curtis Joseph in net. This only adds to the pressure on Toskala, as he knows that the Maple Leafs can not provide him with reliable relief. At least for now. So here is an interesting proposition: I think that the Toronto Maple Leafs would be well served to call up Justin Pogge for a couple of games. I don't believe it would be bad for his development to just try it out for one or two games, and see how he does. If he plays bad, and shows he isn't yet ready, then he can be sent right back down. No harm to the Maple Leafs would be done-as Joseph would drop those games anyway. On the other hand however, if he does well, and shows that he can handle the NHL, the Leafs might finally find a consistent goaltender, and some competent relief might help Toskala get his game back.

So I say the Maple Leafs should give Pogge his shot. He did well in preseason, and he would be fired up to prove himself. Both of the Leafs goaltenders are struggling right now so there is really nothing to lose from it. He can always be sent back to the AHL, but I have a feeling he would build on his solid preseason showing. In that case, a Toskala/Pogge tandem could really turn some heads-assuming Vesa finds his form. The Toronto Maple Leafs have to do something to shake things up. I have a hard time beleiving scratching old man Joseph and calling up Pogge would be a bad move in any way.