Toronto Maple Leafs head coach Craig Berube had some terrible news that fans do not want to hear about. It’s been announced before game one of the regular season that goaltender Joseph Woll is out. That means Anthony Stolarz will take the net to open the regular season for the Leafs. They open their account against their historic rivals, the Montreal Canadiens.
Stolarz starts. Woll has a lower body ailment.
— luke fox (@lukefoxjukebox) October 9, 2024
Woll is Out
Earlier on Wednesday, Berube revealed to the media that Stolarz will be the starting goaltender against the Habs. This is because Woll is dealing with a lower-body injury. It’s been reported by Sportsnet’s Luke Fox that Woll has a lower-body ailment. To some degree, this means there is some sort of issue with a joint in Woll’s legs. There have been levels of concern with Woll’s health over the last couple of seasons.
Last season, he picked up two significant injuries. The Leafs goalie suffered a high-ankle sprain back in December of last season. That forced him to miss around three months of action. This held him back from finding consistency and the ability to become a starting goaltender in the NHL. Later in the playoffs, he was healthy again. However, in the first four games in their first-round series against the Boston Bruins, Ilya Samsonov took the net. After game four, the Leafs were down in the series 3-1 and in came Woll. He shut down the Bruins in Game 5 and Game 6, giving them a chance to move in in seven games. But, in the dying moments of Game 6, he picked up another injury which was undisclosed. As a result, he missed Game 7 and the Leafs were eliminated.
Time for Stolarz
Stolarz was a free agency addition by general manager Brad Treliving back in the summer. He’s had an excellent preseason putting up a .964 save percentage in the three games he featured in. He’ll be looking to keep up that form in the season opener against the Habs. Toronto also needs to worry about Thursday’s game against the New Jersey Devils. It’s the second night of a back-to-back. Berube made it clear that there is a chance for Woll to be back for that game. However, the Maple Leafs are bringing along Dennis Hildeby for the road trip in case Woll isn’t ready to play.
Main Photo Credit: Dan Hamilton-Imagn Images
