The Leafs sign U of T goalie Jett Alexander to an ATO contract

Due to injuries and cap constraints, the Leafs were forced to sign a university goalie to an ATO contract for tonight’s game against the Canadiens.

If the name Jett Alexander sounds familiar, this is not his first time being the EBUG goalie for a game in Toronto. He last fulfilled this role on December 1, 2021, when the Avalanche were hampered by injuries and forced to have Alexander be their backup. He sat on the bench for the entire first period before returning to the press box once Colorado’s expected backup, Justus Annunen, arrived before the second period.

Alexander is coming off his sophomore season with the Toronto Varsity Blues where he posted a 12-7-2 record, three shutouts, a .927 SV%, and a 2.21 GAA. He carried his team to Game 3 of the OUAA quarterfinals where they lost to the Lakehead Thunderwolves. In that span, he went 3-3 with a .918 SV% and a 2.72 GAA.

The Leafs have Alexander signed to be the backup to Ilya Samsonov tonight because Matt Murray was not cleared to return tonight. Heading into this game, Toronto has just $28,750 in LTIR cap space and could only use one of Joseph Woll or Wayne Simmonds. Since Simmonds is going to play, they subsequently did not have enough space in the interim to bring up another goalie. This also allows them to sign Matthew Knies as early as tomorrow if he chooses to join the team.

Alongside Murray, the Leafs are going into tonight’s game without Calle Jarnkrok (injured), Morgan Rielly, and TJ Brodie (both are healthy scratches). Their lineup tonight is no doubt going to have a completely different look as a result, with the likes of Simmonds and Erik Gustafsson expected to slot in.

It’s unlikely that Alexander gets any ice time in this game, but his presence on the bench will surely make things a bit more intriguing.