It was an interesting decision by free agent goaltender Matt O'Connor to sign with the Ottawa Senators. A precedent-setting, one perhaps.

And one the Maple Leafs should carefully note.

The Boston University standout essentially interviewed the teams wanting to sign him, not the other way around. He was looking for the team that he believed would to the best job in developing him into an NHLer.

-By way of sidebar, just imagine if this is how the draft went? If the players interviewed the teams and had a say in their own future. You know, like the real world. I digress.

The 23-year-old O'Connor chose Ottawa over the Rangers, Oilers and Canucks, and rejected all other suitors over the strength of their ability to develop goalies. (The Leafs were able to sign Ben Scrivens in 2010 out of Cornell under similar circumstances, back when goalie coach Francois Allaire was a draw.)



And it might not be their history of developing goalies as it is the philosophy of the current coaching staff.

Either way, the Maple Leafs never had a chance.

For one, the Leafs don't have a coaching staff, let alone a goalie coach. What could Brendan Shanahan possibly tell O'Connor about goaltending? Nothing.

And what is the Leafs' history of developing goalies? Not very good.

James Reimer (chosen 99th in 2006) is perhaps the best goalie the team has produced since Felix Potvin (drafted 31st overall in 1990).

In between, they have drafted:

Robert Horyna (178th overall, 1990, no NHL games)

David Brumby (210st overall, 1993, no NHL games)

Eric Fichaud (16th overall, 1994, 95 NHL games)

Doug Bonner (139th overall, 1995, no NHL games)

Francis Larivee (50th overall, 1996, no NHL games)

Jamie Hodson (69th overall, 1998, no NHL games)

Vladimir Kulikov (211th overall, 1999, no NHL games)

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Mikael Tellqvist (70th overall, 2000, 114 NHL games)

Jean-Francois Racine (90th overall, 2000, no NHL games)

Jan Chovan (213th overall, 2001, no NHL games)

Todd Ford (74th overall, 2002, no NHL games)

Justin Pogge (90th overall, 2004, 7 NHL game)

And, of course:

Tuukka Rask, (21st overall, 2005, 266 games and counting...for Boston). And we all remember the Leafs trading the future in Rask for the present of Andrew Raycroft.

Subsequent to Reimer's draft year, the Leafs have taken three more goalies: Grant Rollheiser in 2008, Garrett Sparks in 2011 and Antoine Bibeau in 2013. None have made the NHL, but Sparks and Bibeau are still in the system.



After Potvin, they used free agents like Curtis Joseph and Ed Belfour. When the salary cap meant they could no longer out-bid teams, they chased goalies through trades giving up far more than they got back with the likes of Raycroft, Toskala and an aging Jean-Sebastian Giguere.

But that's the history of the Leafs with goaltending. And that's what O'Connor saw.

Smart, these college hockey players.

GOT A QUESTION? Email me at askkevinmcgran@gmail.com and I'll answer it in Friday's mailbag.

