The Toronto Maple Leafs could begin the season without goalie Joseph Woll.
Woll was expected to compete with Anthony Stolarz for the starting goalie job. However, Woll has taken a leave of absence from the team to attend to a personal family matter. With the start of the season looming, Maple Leafs general manager Brad Treliving says there’s no timeline for him to return.
“For right now, Joe’s not available to us. We’re there to support him and do everything we can, and we certainly expect him back,” Treliving said on Real Kyper & Bourne. “At this point, we don’t know when that is. So, like anything, an opportunity now presents itself for somebody else.”
It’s disappointing news for the Maple Leafs, and NHL insider Chris Johnston confirmed there is no timeline for his return. Toronto isn’t sure if he will miss any games or will miss multiple due to a family matter.
Maple Leafs coach Craig Berube, meanwhile, says the team is fully supporting Woll.
“It’s obviously a tough situation for him. We’re all here to support him and do what we can to help. That’s really it-he needs to do what he needs to do,” Berube said. “We’re all thinking about him, we miss him, and we’re here to support him as best we can.
Woll is entering the first year of his three-year, $11 million deal. The 27-year-old has dealt with injuries throughout his career, but was in a prime position to compete for the starting job.
Maple Leafs GM Not Ruling Out Adding Another Goalie
With Woll out for the time being, Treliving isn’t ruling out the team making a trade.
Stolarz has an injury history, as does Woll, so Treliving says he has explored adding another goalie.
“You’re always looking at ways to get better,” he said. “Whether a player was taking a leave or not, we’re constantly asking if there’s another option that can best support us.”
But, if Woll’s leave of absence isn’t lengthy, Toronto could opt to ride with Woll and Stolarz and have Dennis Hildeby as the third goalie.
Woll went 27-14-1 with a 2.73 GAA and a .909 SV% last season with the Maple Leafs. In the playoffs, he went 3-4 with a 3.56 GAA and a .896 SV%.
Toronto Pleased With Hildeby
Although Treliving isn’t ruling out making another move, he is pleased with Hildeby as the third goalie.
Hildeby projects to be the Toronto Marlies’ starting goalie in the AHL, and Treliving has been impressed with his training camp.
“This was kind of his time for me,” Treliving added. “He’s had two years now over in North America, he’s shown at times he can be spectacular in the American Hockey League, and he’s had a really good camp thus far.”
Meanwhile, Berube has also been impressed with Hildeby in camp. The Swede has taken a step forward in his development to potentially being a future NHL goalie.
“He was good, I thought he tracked the puck well, made the saves,” Berube said. “But down in tight around the net, there were a lot of scramble plays, and he was pretty solid covering the net.”
Hildeby started 6 games last season, going 3-3 with a 3.33 GAA and a .878 SV%.
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