Former Leafs goalie prospect puts up the performance of a lifetime after Leafs trade him for peanuts

The Leafs are a surprisingly deep team when it comes to goaltending prospects. Joseph Woll looks ready for an extended look in the NHL, Erik Källgren has proven himself to be serviceable, and Dryden McKay is a Hobey Baker trophy winner. Beyond those three, Keith Petruzzelli is intriguing, Artur Akhtyamov was outstanding in the VHL this season, Vyacheslav Peksa and Dennis Hildeby also stood out as well. Nobody thought too much of Dylan Ferguson.

After coming in in relief in one game with the Vegas Golden Knights in his draft year, Ferguson bounced between the AHL and the ECHL before landing an AHL deal with the Toronto Marlies after a successful PTO. Ferguson played just 5 games before being traded to the Belleville Senators. It was another case of the Leafs organization trading a player to a team where he'd have more opportunities to succeed. His first career start in the NHL was a hell of an opportunity and he made good on it.

After posting a .935sv% in Belleville, Ferguson was signed to an NHL deal by the Senators. He got the call on Monday night that he'd be in goal for the Sens against the Pittsburgh Penguins and proceeded to stop 48 of 49 shots in a 2-1 win over Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin and the Pens in his very first NHL start. Those 48 saves were the second most by any goaltender while winning their first career stat. To add insult to injury, he did it while wearing his blue and white Leafs/Marlies pads and gloves. His best saves can be found here, the kid was absolutely on fire between the pipes.




As a goalie myself, it's very hard not to be happy for Ferguson, even if he put this performance together in a Sens jersey. The question now is, is this a one off, or is Dylan Ferguson the real deal? If the Leafs allowed a legit goalie prospect to slip through their fingers, I don't know if we'll ever hear the end of it.