The Toronto Maple Leafs have four NHL-ready goaltenders
In a sudden turn of events the Toronto Maple Leafs have found themselves with four NHL-ready goaltenders, but only two spots. Who does the team go with?
For several seasons, the goaltending situation in regards to the Toronto Maple Leafs has been less than pleasant, to say the least. Relying on names like Petr Mrazek, Michael Hutchinson, and Calvin Pickard amongst bright spots like Martin Jones and Frederik Andersen, the goaltending for Toronto has been inconsistent at best.
So it's a refreshing breath of fresh air to see the Maple Leafs not only one or two have NHL-caliber goaltenders but an impressive four goaltenders who could play and succeed on the NHL level: Joseph Woll, Anthony Stolarz, Matt Murray, and Dennis Hildeby. So who do the Maple Leafs turn to? Do they let the youngsters Woll and Hildeby take the mantle with how impressive they've been? Or do you let Stanley Cup winner and premier backup Anthony Stolarz take the majority of games because they can trust him more? Let's take a closer look at each goaltender and what they offer.
Joseph Woll
What else is there to say about Woll? The Maple Leafs drafted Woll in 2016, and it took him a few seasons to find himself and start to blossom into the goaltender of the future the Maple Leafs envisioned. After struggling with the Marlies from 2019-2021, Woll turned it around going 16-4-1 in 2022-2023 for the Marlies with a 2.37 GAA and .927 SV% which earned him a callup to the Leafs in 2023-2024. In 25 games Woll went 12-11-1 with a 2.94 GAA and .907 SV%. Those aren't terrible numbers for his first real taste of NHL action, but it's in the playoffs where he shined. In Woll's 3 games with Toronto against Boston he went 2-0 with an absurd 0.86 GAA and .964 SV% only letting in two goals, but unfortunately getting injured in the literal last seconds of Game 6.
He's still young and unproven but he's earned the respect of his coach and his teammates and if he continues his dominant play (especially against the notorious Bruins) he could find himself leaping into the conversation about the NHL's elite goaltenders. Woll's just finding his footing in the NHL and perhaps the pressure of being thrust into hockey's biggest spotlight will play a factor, but there's no denying that Woll has become Toronto's goaltender to help lead them to playoff success.
Anthony Stolarz
When the Toronto Maple Leafs signed Anthony Stolarz they had one goal in mind: Get the best dang backup in the league. They did just that, inking him to a two-year, $5M contract this offseason, a year off winning a Stanley Cup with the Florida Panthers. He amassed a 16-7-2 record with 2.03 GAA with a .925 SV% in the regular season, helping Sergei Bobrovsky and the Panthers secure the top spot in the Atlantic Division with 110 points. For his career, Stolarz has put together a 43-31-9 record with a 2.69 GAA and a .915 SV% primarily as a backup in Anaheim behind John Gibson; he's clearly capable of backstopping a team during crucial points, and only has 10 "bad starts" (a SV% under 850) over 83 career starts.
It's a stat that seems insignificant on paper but ensuring you have a backup who can give you 15-20 wins while keeping the score close is essential for long-term success.
He didn't play much in the playoffs as Bobrovsky was the guy, but if he can get some more games in the playoffs or at least do what he did last year and leave it up to Woll in the postseason, he could find himself with another Stanley Cup sooner than later.
Matt Murray
Matt Murray, the veteran netminder who enjoyed an incredible run of success from 2015 to 2019 since being drafted by the Pittsburgh Penguins, has quietly gone by the wayside. Murray has several accomplishments in his career including finishing 4th in Calder Trophy rankings in 2016 and winning back-to-back Stanley Cups with Pittsburgh in 2015 and 2016. It's safe to say Murray was a big reason that the Penguins won two in a row and it's easy to see why. Murray for those two seasons went 22-9-0 in the playoffs with four shutouts. He had under a 2.00 GAA and over .920 SV% in those Cup wins proving he's capable of high-pressure situations; something he was used to with the Maple Leafs at points.
For his career Murray has a 146-86-24 record with a 2.79 GAA and .910 SV% which includes two rough years while a member of the Ottawa Senators, so beyond those two outliers where he was on a struggling team; he's been lights out since he's come into the league. Even with Toronto last year he won 14 games when called upon due to injuries. He's more than a third-stringer and could factor into the Maple Leafs playoff hopes if Stolarz can't find it as a backup and they need a dependable veteran in the crease.
Dennis Hildeby
The 'Hildebeast' is the biggest question mark out of the four goaltenders. The towering Swedish netminder was drafted by Toronto in 2020 and has quickly risen to be one of the best goaltenders in the AHL, and as even found himself at the center of trade rumors due to his impressive performance. He recently got to go the distance in Toronto's preseason game against Montreal and got the win and head coach Craig Berube has all the faith in the world in him. He went 21-11-7 with the Marlies last year while entertaining fans with incredible post to post saves and flashing the glove whenever possible. To go along with a 2.41 GAA and .913 SV% it was a successful first professional season for the 23-year old and he quickly made his name for himself in the Maple Leafs system.
He hasn't played in an NHL game yet but that's not to say he isn't ready. Not too often do you find a 6'7 goaltender with the agility and poise that Hildeby has, especially without real professional experience. He's still learning North American hockey so it's incredible to see what he's done in a short amount of time and goalies such as Pyotr Kochetkov for Carolina and Samuel Ersson for Philadelphia were rookies thrust into the spotlight and performed incredibly well. If Hildeby plays out of his mind in the AHL to start, and the Maple Leafs find themselves with more questions than answers to start the season with their goalies; it would be in their best interest to unleash the 'Hildebeast.'
So which goaltender will become the starter of the Toronto Maple Leafs?
With all that information, where does Toronto go from here? Clearly the logical option would be to have the one they're going with to start the season with Woll and Stolarz. They clearly trust Woll to be their #1 now and in the future and want a veteran to back him up when things get a bit turbulent. But Toronto has options should those struggles be for a long stretch, and not only are those options good; they're some of the best in the league. A two-time Stanley Cup winner with playoff credentials and one of the biggest goaltenders in the entirety of North American hockey is pretty good insurance if things go wrong.
The Toronto Maple Leafs will go into the regular season with four NHL-ready goaltenders, all with varying accolades, roles, and perspectives but they all have one goal collectively this year: Help Toronto end their 56-year Stanley Cup drought.
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