Collegiate goalie Samuel Richard becomes latest member of Maple Leafs’ ATO carousel

The Maple Leafs’ goalie saga rolled into the last day of their season when Samuel Richard of the University of New Brunswick joined on an amateur tryout basis on Thursday.

Richard will backup Joe Woll, who is with the team as an emergency call-up himself, when the Leafs visit the Rangers to round out their season.

Toronto has cycled through countless temporary reserve options since regular backup Matt Murray sustained a concussion to end his regular season on April 2.

Since then, Woll has played intermittently in relief of starter Ilya Samsonov, including during Tuesday’s victory over the Tampa Bay Lightning.

When Minnesota prospect Matthew Knies joined the Maple Leafs on an entry-level contract, recalling Woll became a cap impossibility, and Toronto has been cycling through amateur backups ever since.

One of the nameless, faceless goalies, University of Toronto’s Jett Alexander, actually played during their 7-1 win over the Montreal Canadiens.

Woll returned to the lineup with Samsonov addressing various ailments and was backed up by yet another ATO, Windsor’s Matt Onuska, on Tuesday.

Of the Maple Leafs’ emergency backups to this point, including Alexander, Oksuna, and Nick Chenard of the Owen Sound Attack, Richard is the most qualified.

Richard won 24 starts with the QMJHL Rouyn-Noranda Huskies in 2021-2022 with a 2.69 GAA and a .918 save percentage. He was even better for New Brunswick this year, stopping shots at a .933 clip and surrendering just 1.59 goals per game.

Woll and Richard will form Toronto’s goaltending battery for a meaningless visit to a Rangers team that also cannot move in the standings at 7 pm ET. If all goes to plan, Samsonov will be in the cage for the Maple Leafs’ home-ice first-round rematch with Tampa Bay.