The Toronto Maple Leafs kicked off their preseason schedule with a bang. While they won a narrow victory over the Ottawa Senators in their season opener, they absolutely demolished the Montreal Canadiens on Sept. 25 with a 7-2 victory.
However, despite these wins, the absence of starting goaltender Joseph Woll has left a glaring hole between the pipes. While Toronto continues to find ways to win, one insider believes that the Maple Leafs face a critical decision about their goaltending depth.
Insider Believes That the Maple Leafs Desperately Need a New Goalie in Joseph Woll’s Absence
The Maple Leafs had a great start to their preseason. While their second game loss against the Senators surprised fans, they quickly rebounded with their win over the Canadiens. But with Woll taking a leave of absence to attend to personal family matters, GM Brad Treliving needs to find a solution quickly.
While Anthony Stolarz is expected to take over the 1A goalie role with Dennis Hildeby being the backup, Woll’s presence on the crease will certainly be missed. With 42 games last season, Woll had a .909 save percentage and a 2.73 GAA.
And insider Darren Dreger believes that Treliving is in a tight situation because of this. He appeared on the latest episode of “TSN Overdrive” to give his take on the situation. Dreger believes that the Maple Leafs are desperately trying to find a replacement.
“Treliving is kicking tires on what goalie depth looks like around the NHL,” he said. “They have a lot of faith in Dennis Hildeby and how he might further develop in the role if he’s part of the tandem with Joseph Woll on the sidelines.”
But Dreger also pointed out that Treliving has no timeline on Woll. He continued, “So that would encourage the general manager to make calls.” He believes that while some names might be sitting on the scrap heap, head coach Craig Berube may need to bring them in for that level of depth.
Dreger believes that Toronto is desperate for reliable goaltending depth and that these names would be brought to the forefront only because of this. But Toronto would also need to consider whether they’re actually bringing in meaningful upgrades or just warm bodies.
“If you believe now that Hildeby is playing again tonight, they are trying to give him as much time to play and settle in if they do envision that Joe Woll is going to have an extended leave of absence,” Dreger said on Sept. 25.
Dreger also believes that Stolarz’s new role as the primary goalie might affect his contract negotiations. Either way, while Stolarz and Hildeby are looking to hold the fort in Woll’s absence, Toronto might need to find a new option soon.
