Aug 10: CapFriendly confirmed the financial details of Jones’ contract. The veteran netminder will earn the league-minimum $775K base salary with the remaining $100K paid out via a signing bonus.
Aug 9: The Toronto Maple Leafs and veteran netminder Martin Jones have agreed to a one-year, $875K contract, per a team release. He’s now expected to provide insurance and compete for the backup job in Toronto.
Jones, 33, brings a capable veteran element to Toronto’s crease depth, although it’s not out of the question that he’s assigned to the minors for the first time in a decade. He spent the 2022-23 season with the Seattle Kraken, posting a 27-13-3 record and three shutouts but a rather poor .886 save percentage in 48 games.
It was the most action Jones had seen in a season since his starting days with the San Jose Sharks in the mid-2010s, but it was mostly due to Philipp Grubauer’s injury-related absences rather than performance. Across ten seasons and 444 NHL contests with the Kraken, Sharks, Los Angeles Kings, and Philadelphia Flyers, Jones’ career numbers still read a .905 save percentage and 2.71 goals-against average despite his struggles in recent years.
Considering he hasn’t been an above-average netminder in six years, Jones likely slots in third on Toronto’s goalie depth chart behind starter Ilya Samsonov and intriguing prospect Joseph Woll. After the latter had a strong showing down the stretch of the regular season and in the playoffs when Samsonov went down with an injury, he’s the likely candidate to win a backup job.
While Jones did receive a one-way deal, that’s not likely an indication that Toronto envisions having him on the NHL roster all season. It’s clear the Leafs were looking to add at that position – their AHL goalie depth is unimpressive with Woll graduating to the pros. Earlier this summer, they were linked to another veteran, former Tampa Bay Lightning backup Brian Elliott, but he remains unsigned.
It’s worth noting Jones will require waivers to head to the AHL, and there’s no guarantee he’ll clear after the workload he took on last season and his affordable contract.
Can’t argue with that deal. Looks like they’ll stick him with the Marlies, and they can bury the whole cap hit. I don’t think Jones is a NHL goalie any more, but maybe he can rebuild a sliver of value in the AHL.
Jones has had a fine journeyman career. This is a low risk low reward depth move.
We’ll miss him in Seattle, he was a big part of the good things that happened here last season.
Looking at those numbers, I think the success was in spite of him.
Numbers don’t tell the whole story. Jones had some bad games as the season wore on, but early he was solid. Fortunately, Grubauer was ready when Jones started to falter.
No, he really wasn’t. Take an actual look at those early games. In the first two months of the season gave up four or more goals SEVEN TIMES. He racked up a 9-8 “win.” He racked up a 8-5 “win.” He let up five goals in three of his first seven games. The Kraken shouldn’t have HAD to score 5+ goals a game in order to win.
Something tells me that the one who hasn’t looked at the games is you. Stats are something and timely saves are something else. I have two points I’m trying to make: 1. I doubt you actually watched the games, 2. stats don’t tell the whole story. I’m not refuting the stats, I’m just questioning why you feel compelled to insist on this line. If you watched the games, i sincerely doubt you’d care so much. Again, not refuting the stats, just saying the momentum of what was going on was more important. He was good, great even, even though the numbers could be used to paint another picture. If you don’t believe me, maybe you should research what his teammates thought of his work.
I’m aware that I wasn’t watching Sharks games. What’s curious is your intense insistence that that matters worth a damn. Stats DO tell the story. You cannot claim that a guy who only scored ten goals is a great scorer. You cannot claim that a guy who racks up 200 penalty minutes is a clean, gentlemanly player. You cannot claim that a player who consistently plays 80 games a year is injury prone.
And you cannot claim, without looking like an idiot, that a guy who gives up many goals is a great goalie. Martin Jones didn’t merely have a bad season; he didn’t merely have the lowest save percentage of his career. He had the worst save percentage of *any starting goalie in the NHL.* He racked up a lot of wins for one very basic reason — that Seattle gave him eyepopping offensive support.
What the hell do you expect his teammates to say, after all? “Yeah, Jones sucked, and we won despite him?” Eeeesh. I get that you’re down on stats, but here’s what I’d normally call an eyeopener — in games Jones started last year, Seattle scored 3.95 goals. FOUR GOALS a game? That’s 1971 Bruins/1982 Oilers-level of offensive support. Mr. Magoo would win a lot of games with that kind of support. Linus Ullmark would’ve gone *undefeated* with that kind of support.
A serviceable NHL backup/depth,the player they let slide was Kallgren.
Nice!! I like the signing, good depth goalie. The contract is the best part, I didn’t they the leafs would be able to get a goalie with a track record like Jones for league minimum.
If Samsonov were to struggle or get injured I really hope we would give the 1st opportunity to Woll, he has the ability to be a nhl goalie and our goalie of the future if he continues to progress
Probably makes the majority of the Leafs starts.