Maple Leafs sign veteran Martin Jones to bolster goaltending depth

The Toronto Maple Leafs added goaltending depth on Wednesday by signing Martin Jones to a one-year contract worth $875,000.

Jones comes to the Maple Leafs after a rough season with the Seattle Kraken that saw him produce a .886 save percentage in 48 games.

The 33-year-old is in the middle of a rough stretch of his career, as his save percentage has topped .900 just once over the last five seasons. His GSAA since 2018-19 (-49.49) ranks dead last amongst all NHL netminders.

While those numbers are not inspiring in the slightest, the signing is understandable from the Maple Leafs' point of view as the team had a complete lack of depth between the pipes before bringing Jones aboard.

Prior to the signing, the team's third goaltender options behind Ilya Samsonov and Joseph Woll were total wild cards like Dennis Hildeby, Vyacheslav Peksa, and Keith Petruzzelli — a trio with no NHL experience and a combined 36 games at the AHL level.

While the deal with Jones is reportedly a one-way contract, the fact that Jones was still available in August at this price is a solid indicator that he is likely to clear waivers if Toronto wants to stash him in the AHL as their third goalie.

Not only can Jones provide insurance in case Samsonov or Woll get injured, the team also has a layer of protection against Woll faltering. The 25-year-old looked promising last season, but he remains relatively unproven with just 11 NHL games under his belt.

If last year's strong work across the AHL and NHL levels don't translate to quality production in 2023-24, the Maple Leafs have another option.

Signing Jones is unlikely to help Toronto reach a new level, but he raises the team's floor by a tiny margin. He may have been arguably the NHL's worst goalie in recent years, but he is an NHL goalie, which is more than can be confidently said about other options outside of their top duo.

If 2023-24 goes the way the Maple Leafs hope this is the sort of signing likely to be forgotten. If things start to go sideways, there's a chance they'll be glad they have Jones.