Toronto Maple Leafs goalie Joseph Woll warms up before playing the Ottawa Senators at Scotiabank Arena in Toronto on Sept. 22.Dan Hamilton/Reuters
The Maple Leafs enter the 2024-25 season much as they have the previous five. They seemingly lack a star goalie that is necessary for a long and successful Stanley Cup run.
It has been five years since one of their netminders started 50 games. Frederik Andersen started 52 in 2019-20, and 60, 66 and 66 the three seasons before that.
Toronto didn’t win a round in the playoffs in any of those years, but it had more problems elsewhere than it did when it came to stability in the net. Sixteen players have started in its crease since 2020-21.
Jack Campbell came close when he started 47 in 2020-21, but the since-departed Ilya Samsonov had the most with 40 starts in each of the past two seasons.
Some of the goaltending turbulence has been caused by injury, of course. But it has also been a matter of not having someone entirely trustworthy enough to bank on.
And here we are again – different year, same situation.
Perhaps Joseph Woll or Anthony Stolarz will become that No. 1 guy once the Maple Leafs open the regular season on Wednesday at Montreal. If not, Matt Murray, who is recovering from surgeries on both hips, is still around for entertainment purposes.
That would be the storyline of all storylines if, with no other option, the hobbled one became the comeback player of the year. Or, in his case, years.
Stolarz won a Stanley Cup with the Florida Panthers this summer and has looked strong in three appearances. He played 60 minutes against the Red Wings on Thursday in Detroit and acquitted himself nicely. He had 30 saves in a 2-0 victory and has allowed only two goals in the preseason.
A year ago he recorded a 16-7-2 record as Sergei Bobrovsky’s backup in Sunrise but has never been a No. 1. In eight NHL seasons with four organizations he has appeared in 108 games.
In July he signed a two-year contract with Toronto as a free agent and has made the most of his opportunity.
“It is obviously exciting,” the 30-year-old Stolarz said late Thursday. “It is kind of what you want as a hockey player. You want to be on the big stage and you want to be playing games. I have that opportunity and it is up to me to take advantage of it.”
Woll is likely to get a long look in Saturday’s last practice game, against the Red Wings at Scotiabank Arena. He hasn’t played since Sept. 22 against Ottawa in a game in which he allowed three goals on 23 shots.
The 26-year-old has impressed in the past but has proved to be prone to injuries. He had a 2-2 record against Boston in the first postseason round last season but was unavailable for Game 7 because of a sprained back. Toronto lost 2-1 in overtime.
In small doses – 36 games over four seasons – Woll has demonstrated the skills required to be a starting goalie.
“I’ve got faith in Joe,” Brad Treliving, Toronto’s general manager, said following the team’s first-round exit last spring. “The biggest question about Joe is that he gets injured a lot. We have to dig into that.”
Woll hopes to get the starting nod against the Canadiens but Craig Berube, the Maple Leafs’ new coach, has not made an announcement.
“It would be pretty special to be able to play in the Bell Centre on opening night,” Woll said.
As is always the case with goalies there is a healthy competition.
“We are just going to go out there and push each other,” Stolarz said. He is being paid US$2.5-million over each of the next two years. “It is going to be a battle. It is tough being a goalie because there is only one spot. But if you go out and push each other it will only make the team better.”
Whether Stolarz and Woll can bring consistency over a long haul remains to be seen. A serious injury to either could submarine the Maple Leafs’ chances. An injury to both would be a disaster.
For all the complaining about the huge salaries they command, Auston Matthews, Mitch Marner, William Nylander and John Tavares have earned their keep.
At the same time, however, that outpouring of cash to the core four is partially the reason the back end and goaltending suffer. Treliving brought in Chis Tanev and Oliver Ekman-Larsson to help address the needs on defence.
We’ll see if things are different this year. But when it comes to the team’s outlook in the net the Maple Leafs look thin.