Maple Leafs goaltending just took a serious hit after Joseph Woll's five-goal nightmare against Finland
Photo credit: John E. Sokolowski-Imagn Images
After Joseph Woll was pulled after giving up five goals against Finland, John Chayka may have issues with his goaltending if things don't improve quickly.
Finland scored five goals on nine shots with Joseph Woll in net. With questions about Anthony Stolarz's health, and both Dennis Hildeby and Artur Ahkytamov creeping up the depth chart, the last thing Toronto needs is a shaky start for their trusted goaltender. If things continue down this path, John Chayka's job just got more complicated.
As Finland looked to remain unbeaten in the IIHF World Championships, they faced a US Team looking to shut them down.
That didn't happen whatsoever as Finland cruised to a 6-2 win after dominating from the start. They put up five goals on nine shots against Maple Leafs netminder Joseph Woll; who had no answer for the Finns.
Anthony Stolarz can't stay healthy and Joseph Woll just gave up five goals on nine shots against Finland
That doesn't necessarily bode well for the Maple Leafs going forward as there are already questions about Anthony Stolarz's ability to play more than a handful of games and seeing if his health can hold up to the rigours of being a starter. With Woll's dismal performance on Monday, things suddenly don't look great.
And that's a big problem for John Chayka.
The last thing that he needs right now is to worry about fixing his goaltending considering it was supposed to be one of the most concrete parts of the roster. Both men are signed long-term, and were meant to lead the team between the pipes, with an improvement up front making their lives easier.
While Stolarz is trying to get himself in the best shape possible, Woll is doing his best to stay game-ready. This isn't the way to do it though. Woll has given up eight goals on 24 shots so far this tournament, so the fact he's giving up three goals a game with such a lineup is worrying.
USA has Justin Faulk, Wyatt Kaiser, Mason Lohrei, and Connor Clifton all able to help out Woll and he still gave up a bunch of goals. Woll gave up two goals in 2.5 minutes in the first, and two more in the first two minutes of the second. Whether he was injured, or just woke up feeling rough; the numbers don't lie.
If Woll doesn't turn things around his confidence is going to be at an all-time low and that bodes horribly for the preseason and training camp. If he comes in and doesn't pull his weight he very well could get bumped off by Dennis Hildeby or Artur Akhtyamov.
Dennis Hildeby and Artur Akhtyamov are climbing the depth chart and Woll just gave them an opening
John Chayka went from having four goaltenders he could rely on to potentially only two; with them being rookies pretty much. That's not really going to foster a competitive team, especially if they can't keep pucks out of the net.
Stolarz is on the trade board and can't stay healthy at 32 years old, Woll just put up this performance meanwhile Hildeby and Akhtyamov have combined to lead the Marlies to the North Division Finals against Cleveland. The depth chart is being changed in real-time.
There's been no indication that Woll is injured, so we can hopefully just chalk this up to a blip on the radar. There is no perfect goalie who saves everything with even the best in the world taking their lumps.
But it's the reaction to that disappointment which is most important. Woll could sit and sulk about his horrible game, which then in turn may make him question what's wrong, and therefore change things he may not need to.
His pure talent and skillset brought him this far, and trusting in his ability will go a long way in providing the help Toronto needs. There's immense pressure to playing in Toronto without even the playoffs in mind. If Woll can prove that these tough games don't break his spirit, then they can be confident in throwing him out there.
The team has a goaltender who is already calm under pressure in Artur Akhtyamov, and with him and Dennis Hildeby creeping up the depth chart, Woll's job could be in jeopardy if he falters again and again.
So instead of taking this as a negative, it's about turning this into a learning experience for Joseph Woll. You were playing for your country, under immense pressure, and came up short. That doesn't mean he's a bad goalie.
But it does mean that John Chayka has to make sure he doesn't eventually crumble under the weight or everything comes tumbling down.
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