Leafs add Evan Cormier on a pro tryout deal

Necessity is a mother. The recent injuries to Leafs prospects Joseph Woll and Ian Scott has thinned out the Leafs net so much that we’re actually seeing Jack Campbell and Petr Mrazek split the net in an early preseason game. Not that it’s completely unusual to see that, but I’m sure options would have been appreciated. With the Marlies camp opening soon I’m sure the Leafs would also like to send their probable AHL netminders to work with their team. In that case it’s probably just Källgren making that trip, and today’s signing of Evan Cormier to a pro tryout contract makes that possible.

Let’s start off by saying that Cormier doesn’t really have much of a chance of landing a contract with the Leafs, and honestly even a Marlies contract might be a stretch, but that is going to be dependent on the extent of the injuries to Woll and Scott that determine that. Even then Hutchinson and Källgren is a perfectly fine tandem. Figuring out where Cormier fits in is a mystery, or Newfoundland, which to many of us is a mystery.

As for what the Leafs are test driving in Cormier, is a former 4th round pick of the Devils, who turns 24 in November. He’s 6’3 and played 11 games in the AHL last season. He spent the previous two seasons bouncing between the AHL and ECHL with non-notable numbers at each level. In short, if he sticks he could potentially be a Growler that sees some callups to the Marlies.

The move isn’t very significant beyond the fact that the Leafs goaltending pipeline is hurting once again and as strange as it may seem to some people, Toronto now really needs to hope that Michael Hutchinson can clear waivers.