The maneuvering in the Toronto Maple Leafs crease knows few bounds. Or bed times.
Jhonas Enroth has been dealt to the Anaheim Ducks in a trade announced just after 1 a.m. ET on Wednesday morning.
It marked the third transaction in as many days for the Leafs involving a goaltender and netted them a 2018 seventh-round draft pick in return. There were no conditions placed on that selection, according to a source.
The Leafs have been busy looking for someone to back up No. 1 man Frederik Andersen and claimed Curtis McElhinney off waivers from Columbus on Tuesday. That left them with three healthy starters in the American Hockey League and made Enroth expendable.
Anaheim was searching for some depth with AHLers Dustin Tokarski and Matt Hackett both injured. Enroth will report directly to the San Diego Gulls.
The 28-year-old Swede signed a $750,000, one-year deal with the Leafs in late August but fell out of favour quickly with coach Mike Babcock. He made six appearances for the NHL team, including four starts, and had an .872 save percentage with no wins before being sent to the AHL last month.
Asset-wise, the Leafs came out ahead with the recent set of moves.
McElhinney’s salary is basically a wash with Enroth’s – he’s making $800,000 on an expiring deal – and the team acquired him for nothing. Toronto then turned Enroth into a late pick while dropping back to 47 total contracts, gaining flexibility ahead of the March 1 trade deadline.
The organization also freed up more opportunity for Antoine Bibeau and Garret Sparks to get AHL starts. They are now the only two healthy goalies working out of Ricoh Coliseum.
Veteran Jeff Glass was released from his professional tryout with the Marlies on Monday and has since signed an AHL deal with the Rockford IceHogs. Karri Ramo also remains in the picture but is expected to be out another month after recently undergoing a follow-up procedure on his injured left knee.
