Leafs interested in timur bilyalov

Would be an amazing pick up but I’m sure there will be a team that would offer him a starting job while leafs would be offering a backup job (for now) and he would probably prefer the starter job to prove himself and cash in on it

Who will just offer him up a starting job? One could argue that if he is great, he could backup this year and tandem next and potentially take over for TO when Andersen is up for a new contract.

New Jersey?Ottawa?Columbus?Detroit? They all need goalies and if they offer up a starting job right away it could pry him from a team like the leafs or Montreal just to name two teams that need backups, not saying those teams have to make him the starter if they got him but if they offer it he could have that team as a favourite specially knowing the leafs and Montreal have #1’s already that won’t move to backup roles

All of those other teams are terrible. Becoming the starter for a terrible team isn't going to help you build value in yourself. A team that will let him ease into the North American game and go from there is a wise plan for a guy trying to get himself in the door. The big ice is much different that small ice and expecting a guy to jump in and be a starter immediately, can be way too much too soon.

Frederick Andersen did that back in 2013-2014, he was the splitting time evenly with the ducks other goalie playing 28 games total, following season was full time starter and in both seasons he was a star goalie