The Toronto Maple Leafs are suddenly navigating a major shakeup in their crease after placing goaltender Joseph Woll on injured reserve Saturday with a lower-body injury. In response, the team recalled Artur Akhtyamov from the AHL, signaling that Toronto is preparing to roll with an inexperienced tandem for the near future. The IR move is retroactive to December 4th, but the timeline remains unclear.
What Happened that Ended With a Joseph Woll Injury
Woll suffered the injury during Thursday’s 5–1 win over the Hurricanes, appearing to tweak something while extending for a save late in the second period. He didn’t return for the third, and the mood around the team shifted almost immediately. Woll has carried the bulk of Toronto’s starts since rejoining the lineup on November 15th, starting eight of their last nine games and posting a sharp .927 save percentage in that stretch. For a player who missed most of training camp and the early regular season for personal reasons, he stabilized the crease faster than anyone expected.
What Will the Leafs Do?
What makes this situation even tougher is that the Leafs are already without Anthony Stolarz, who remains sidelined with an upper-body injury. Stolarz hasn’t skated since November 11th and has no set return date. Just like that, Toronto’s top two goalies are unavailable, leaving the net to Dennis Hildeby, who entered the season as the organization’s developing project, not its stopgap solution.
Hildeby now becomes the starter by default. The 6-foot-7 Swede has shown poise in limited NHL action, posting a .917 save percentage through seven appearances. Most of that work has come in relief, but he’s handled himself well and will now get the chance to show whether he can manage a heavier workload. “You’ve got to be ready for anything,” Hildeby said Thursday. “You take it as it comes and enjoy the moment.”
The Leafs now face a stretch defined by survival and patience. Woll’s injury couldn’t have come at a worse time, but Toronto has no choice but to lean on its young goalies until reinforcements arrive. Whether this duo can keep the Leafs afloat will be one of the team’s defining storylines in the weeks ahead.
Main Photo Credit: Stephen R. Sylvanie-Imagn Images
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