Major Update Concerning Joseph Woll's Injury Status and Return
The Toronto Maple Leafs gave a little bit of insight into Joseph Woll's injury status, though head coach Craig Berube is keeping quiet over a potential return time.
The emergence of Joseph Woll during Toronto's first-round playoff series against the Boston Bruins was a huge bright spot for the team even though they lost the series and he was rewarded for his efforts with a long contract extension, clearly being the Maple Leafs goaltender of the future.
However, Woll only played a bit of the preseason and has been dealing with a nagging injury that has kept him out for the beginning of the year. It's unknown how serious the injury is, or how close Woll is to returning from injury, and according to head coach Craig Berube, it won't be any time soon:
It's an unfortunate turn of events for Woll, who is dealing with not only this injury, but also has a history with various ailments in his career. Given the Toronto Maple Leafs have so much goaltending depth is both a boost to the team as well as Woll, giving him enough time to recover properly without risking the performance of the squad. Goaltenders Anthony Stolarz and Dennis Hildeby have locked down the crease the first two games, with Hildeby getting his first NHL win against the New Jersey Devils on Thursday, and head coach Craig Berube can rest a little easier knowing he doesn't need Woll to head back so soon.
Woll has been solid in his short time with the main squad, holding a 21-13-1 record with a 2.76 GAA and 912 SV%, and has shown incredible poise and calmness in high-pressure situations. The main reason Toronto went to seven games with the Bruins last season, Woll is still only 26 years old and has yet to reach his prime, and if can keep himself healthy and stay on track with how he's performed thus far; the sky's the limit for him and the Maple Leafs.
We don't know when Joseph Woll will be back, but when he does it's going to be tough for him to jump right back in especially if Stolarz or Hildeby gets hot; it's not Woll's spot to lose, but it's his spot to share.
| POLL | ||
Who will be the Maple Leafs starting goaltender this season? | ||
| Joseph Woll | 49 | 16.1 % |
| Anthony Stolarz | 222 | 72.8 % |
| Dennis Hildeby | 27 | 8.9 % |
| Other | 7 | 2.3 % |
| List of polls | ||
