12:15 PM: The Maple Leafs have now made their signing of Petruzzelli official.
9:30 AM: The Toronto Maple Leafs received some bad news last night when starting goaltender Ilya Samsonov was knocked out of the game with a knee injury. With Samsonov now possibly set to miss time, the Maple Leafs have made a move to shore up their personnel in the crease. Per Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman, Toronto has signed goaltender Keith Petruzzelli to an NHL deal.
Since this contract would be Petruzzelli’s first NHL deal, it will be a two-year entry-level deal. The terms of the deal and the signing have not been officially announced by the Maple Leafs, but the official word should be coming soon.
Petruzzelli, 23, was a third-round pick of the Detroit Red Wings at the 2017 draft who signed an AHL deal in Toronto after a solid four-year collegiate career at Quinnipiac University. He spent most of his time last year with the ECHL’s Newfoundland Growlers, notching a .927 save percentage in 23 games played.
So far this season, Petruzzelli has spent his time at the AHL level with the Toronto Marlies. There, he is 6-0 in his first six starts with a .922 save percentage and a 2.31 goals-against average.
This signing is made in large part due to the increasingly desperate situation the Maple Leafs find themselves in in their crease. With Matt Murray already on long-term injured reserve and Ilya Samsonov potentially out for some time, the Maple Leafs need another player in their net to support Erik Kallgren.
Petruzzelli, with this contract, could get a chance to play in some NHL games if Samsonov does indeed miss some time with a knee injury.
Maybe Petruzzelli is just the guy for the Leafs. We shall see…
@Mac – Wasn’t there a crime drama show called Petruzzelli back in the day? :D
@Gbear—“Petrocelli” was a crime drama, that I vaguely remember watching. This guy, Petruzzelli, has a little bit of a resemblance to Robert Hays, of all people. It’s nowhere near stunt double, mind you, but his pic on HockeyDB made me think, “This is what I look like after my drinking problem landed me in the ECHL!” :)
@Mac – I knew it sounded familiar. Now that was entertainment!:D
Newfoundland guy here, the growlers are a good team. I cant speak on how good the goalie is tho i dont follow them to much
As a Sabres fan I don’t like this signing. It smells like a great move by TOR.