TSN is reporting today that the Toronto Maple Leafs have signed free agent goaltender Ben Scrivens to a one-year, entry level contract. Scrivens was a college free agent who played four years with Cornell, and after a statistically impressive senior year (21-9-4, 0.934 save percentage) there was no doubt he’d sign with an NHL team.
With the Maple Leafs having Jonas Gustavsson, J.S. Giguere, and Jussi Rynnas under contract for next season, Scrivens is expected to compete for a job with the Marlies of the AHL.
Don’t let his impressive numbers fool you; there’s a worry that he is a product of a system and won’t exactly dominate at the next level. Still, not having the pressure to perform right away, even at the AHL level, could make the transition a bit easier.