As the regular season wrapped up, the Maple Leafs were in the midst of a goaltending crisis, even having to resort to enlisting university and junior players as backup goalies.
Toronto was forced to get creative after Matt Murray suffered an injury, opting to sign top NCAA prospect Matthew Knies instead of calling up a third-string netminder. With the team's salary cap constraints, making roster adjustments proved to be a difficult task for GM Kyle Dubas.
Luckily, the Maple Leafs found a reprieve thanks to a recent NHL rule change, as reported by Sportsnet's Luke Fox:
While there is no cap limit or call-up restrictions during the playoffs, the updated rule now permits teams to add a third goaltender from within their organization to their postseason roster as an Emergency Backup Goalie (EBUG). This is a departure from the conventional practice of relying on a random substitute goalie.
As a result, the Maple Leafs were able to call up Erik Kallgren from their AHL affiliate, the Toronto Marlies, without facing any penalties.
