Sparks seeking 'fair opportunity' to make Golden Knights out of camp
After getting a shutout in his NHL debut in 2015, Garret Sparks gave a teary-eyed postgame interview. Fast forward four years, and Sparks remains a goaltender who wears his heart on his sleeve.
Sparks was "still a little emotional" after he was traded by the Toronto Maple Leafs - the only NHL organization he's ever known - to the Vegas Golden Knights on Tuesday, according to NHL.com's Tracey Myers.
The 26-year-old is also ready for what he deemed as a better shot at sticking in the NHL.
"All I've wanted is a fair opportunity, come (training) camp, to try and make the team and I think that I'll get a better opportunity (with Vegas) than I would have in Toronto," Sparks told Myers. "At the end of the day, that's what you're looking for as a player."
He'll battle netminders Malcolm Subban and Oscar Dansk for the rights to be Marc-Andre Fleury's backup in Vegas. The Leafs, meanwhile, re-signed goaltender Michael Hutchinson and brought in veteran Michal Neuvirth on a PTO.
Sparks was named the AHL's Goalie of the Year in 2017-18 en route to the Toronto Marlies' Calder Cup title. He beat out veteran Curtis McElhinney for the Leafs' backup job last year but struggled mightily, posting a 3.15 goals-against average and a .902 save percentage in 17 games. Prior to the postseason, Hutchinson was tabbed as the club's No. 2 goalie over Sparks.
Sparks suffered a mid-season concussion after taking a William Nylander shot off the head in practice, which he said impacted his play.
"I felt I was finally starting to build some momentum and get my chance," Sparks said. "I just felt like I got cut down, and it's hard to regrow after you get your progress chopped off like that."
Sparks saw a minimal difference in performance before and after the injury, as his save percentage modestly fell from .905 to .899.
The Elmhurst, Ill. native called his first full NHL season "emotionally taxing."
The 2011 seventh-round pick was briefly the longest-tenured Leaf after the club traded Nazem Kadri to the Colorado Avalanche on July 1.