Two pillars of the Toronto Maple Leafs lineup are in line to return for the team’s Thursday game against the Seattle Kraken. Top winger Mitch Marner will slot back in after missing one game with a lower-body injury, and starting goaltender Anthony Stolarz has been activated off of injured reserve after missing nearly two months with a knee injury, per David Alter of The Hockey News. Stolarz was removed after the first period of Toronto’s December 12th win over the Anaheim Ducks. There was no clear indication of where he may have suffered his injury. He’d go on to miss 24 games with the injury, with little ever being revealed about what specifically occurred.
The Maple Leafs sorely felt Stolarz’s absence. He’s returning from injury still standing as the league leader in save percentage, with a .927 through 17 games narrowly beating out Connor Hellebuyck’s .925 in 42 games. Stolarz has complimented that with a strong 9-5-2 record and 2.15 goals-against-average. Those strong stats are made even more impressive by Stolarz having just one shutout on the season, showing his propensity for keeping games low-scoring even when he does get beat once. Stolarz joined the Leafs on a two-year, $5MM contract this summer after winning the Stanley Cup in the Florida Panthers’ backup role last season. He recorded a dazzling .925 save percentage through 25 starts with the Panthers, and brought that performance with him in the move up North. His strong start to the 2024-25 campaign stole away Toronto’s starting role from youngsters Joseph Woll or Dennis Hildeby – and Stolarz getting the nod immediately upon returning is a good indication that he’ll remain the Leafs’ go-to netminder.
Marner’s return will also be hotly anticipated, even despite his minimal absence. The 27-year-old winger leads the Leafs in scoring by a large margin, with 70 points through 52 games putting him 15 points ahead of William Nylander in second place. Marner has earned that scoring on the back of fantastic playmaking. He ranks third on the team in xGF/60 (expected goals-for per-60) and HDCF/60 (high-danger chances-for per-60), behind only Auston Matthews and Matthew Knies. Marner has also alleviated any concerns that his injury may stick around, describing it as a bizarre case of losing sharpness to Sportsnet’s Luke Fox.
The Maple Leafs have two games remaining before taking a two-week break for the 4-Nations Face-Off tournament. Stolarz could be in line to start both outings, then get an extended break to ensure he’s ready to return to a workhorse role in Toronto’s second-half. The Leafs currently rank second in the Atlantic Division with a 32-19-2 record and 66 points. They’ll be looking towards the playoffs soon, but will need all hands on deck to ensure they can get by the first round.