The Toronto Maple Leafs announced On Friday, goaltender Joseph Woll will rejoin the team and resume on-ice activities as part of his return to play. Woll had been away on personal leave since the start of training camp, and his return provides a crucial boost as they look to improve their record and be more consistent in goaltending this season.
The series of moves surrounding Woll was both interesting and strategic. After his departure for personal reasons, it was not clear when he would return. Head coach Craig Berube said he had not personally spoken to the goaltender and could only comment: “If he’s back, he’s back.” He had no update on this status.
Hours later, on October 23, the Maple Leafs placed him on long-term injured reserve (LTIR), a decision that suggested his absence would not be short-lived. However, that move was intended to free up space in the salary cap. Like David Alter from The Hockey News explained it: “The club had to free up cap space when they placed Chris Tanev on injured reserve due to an upper-body injury and drafted Dakota Mermis. At the time of that trade, the Leafs did not have enough salary cap space, with only $21,213 available.”
Just a day later, the team revealed that Woll was back. It’s important to note that Woll won’t be able to dress in a game until November 1st at the earliest.
In Woll’s absence, backup options Anthony Stolarz and waiver claim Cayden Primeau look to contain the crease. Stolarz has gone 2-3-1 with an .894 save percentage and a 3.01 goals-against average while leading the way with some early team drama. He’s not playing as well as the team expected, and the hope is that he can find his game before the end of the month.
The “Woll Shuffle” – personal leave, LTIR placement and eventual return are all part of a plan to get him ready again and possibly resume the starting role on the team in short order.
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