Sergei Bobrovsky has now allowed three or more goals in nine of his first 10 starts as a Maple Leaf, and fans have seen enough.
Wednesday night in Seattle didn't change the story. Gavin McKenna scored twice, and the frustration still boiled over.
That tells you where the mood is. An 18-year-old scores twice on the road and the conversation is still about the crease.
The 38-year-old came into the night with an .897 save percentage through nine games.
He had only three wins in those nine appearances.
The last two outings have been rough. He allowed three goals on 32 shots in Monday's 5-2 loss in Calgary.
Anthony Stolarz, at .907 in five games, is Jim Hiller's alternative in net
Here's what's bothering people: the goals keep looking the same. Shooters seem to know exactly where to go.
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That's when a coach has to act. Hiller should hand the net to Anthony Stolarz on Saturday in Vancouver.
Stolarz has a .907 save percentage through five games.
Bobrovsky's $7,000,000 cap hit makes this a tough conversation. The backup costs $3,750,000.
Starting a struggling goalie because of his contract is like eating a bad meal because you already paid for it.
McKenna deserved better. The teenager came into the night with eight points on a $1,075,000 cap hit.
This road trip was supposed to steady things. Instead, the goalie question followed the Leafs from Calgary to Seattle.
And with Kirill Marchenko dealing with a knee issue, Toronto can't count on outscoring its problems every night.
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Toronto came into Wednesday at 7-5-2, and John Chayka is already hunting a difference-maker on defense. He may need to look at the crease too.
Is this a slump, or is this who the veteran is at this stage of his career?
Vancouver comes Saturday. Whoever Hiller sends out, the Leafs can't afford another night where the kid scores twice and the goalie becomes the headline.
Should Jim Hiller start Anthony Stolarz over Sergei Bobrovsky in Vancouver?
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