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Kristen Shilton, ESPN NHL reporterOct 9, 2024, 01:15 PM ET
- Kristen Shilton is a national NHL reporter for ESPN.
Maple Leafs starting goaltender Joseph Woll is battling lower-body tightness and will not be available when Toronto opens its regular season Wednesday in Montreal.
Coach Craig Berube said Anthony Stolarz will get the call in net, and rookie Dennis Hildeby was recalled on an emergency basis from the American Hockey League to back up Stolarz.
“It’s precautionary,” Berube said about sitting Woll, who began experiencing the tightness Tuesday. “So we’re going to keep him out tonight.”
Berube was noncommittal on whether Woll would be able to dress for the Maple Leafs on Thursday when they face the New Jersey Devils.
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“We’ll see tomorrow,” Berube said.
Woll, 26, has a long history of injury troubles in Toronto while also posting solid numbers. He was 12-11-1 last season with a 2.94 goals-against average and .907 save percentage in between missing two months with a high ankle sprain.
The injury woes came to a head for the Maple Leafs during their first-round playoff series against the Boston Bruins last spring. Woll backed up Ilya Samsonov early in the postseason but stepped in when Toronto trailed Boston 3-1 and produced excellent performances in consecutive wins to help the Maple Leafs tie the series.
There would be no Woll in Game 7, though, when the netminder was sidelined by an undisclosed injury that forced Samsonov back into action. The Maple Leafs lost 2-1 in overtime and were bounced from the playoffs.
Despite Woll’s injury history, Toronto still offered him a three-year, $10.98 million extension on July 1 to cement his status as the projected No. 1 going forward.
Stolarz — fresh from winning a Stanley Cup with the Florida Panthers — was added in free agency on a two-year, $5 million pact. His stats behind Panthers starter Sergei Bobrovsky (16-7-2, 2.03 GAA, .925 SV%) and towering presence give the Maple Leafs confidence Stolarz will have no trouble taking on the starting job until Woll is healthy again.
“He definitely takes up a lot of the net,” Maple Leafs captain Auston Matthews said of the 6-foot-6 Stolarz. “It’s pretty noticeable coming down and shooting on him. He’s pretty good at reading the play. When you think you have the opening, he’s kind of baiting you to shoot it there. He’s a really smart goalie.”
