With the recent injury to goaltender Matt Murray, the Toronto Maple Leafs have installed Joseph Woll into their lineup on an emergency loan.
The Toronto Maple Leafs top goalie prospect missed the beginning of the 2022-23 season with his own injury problem.
He has been near perfect since returning to the Toronto Marlies lineup. Since his return, he has a 13-1-0 record in 14 games.
The 24-year-old goaltender has a 2.36 GAA and a .930 SV%.
(Stats from eliteprospects.com)
Joseph Woll Entering His Second Stint with Toronto Maple Leafs
With the Toronto Maple Leafs playing back-to-back games Friday and Saturday, Woll will likely get some NHL game action early on. Toronto will play another set of back-to-back games on February 18th and 19th. If Woll is still with the team at that time, he’ll get two starts within the next ten days.
Woll’s impressive season with the Toronto Marlies earned him a chance to play in the AHL All-Star game. While competing in the All-Star game, Woll made 28 saves and was named Top Goalie for the event.
He will be looking to use his recent successes and apply them at the NHL level. If the injury to Murray ends up being worse than expected, Woll could be the Toronto Maple Leafs’ backup for the remainder of the 2022-23 season.
Joseph Woll appeared in four games for the Leafs last season. He compiled a 3-1-0 record in those four games while earning a 2.75 GAA and a .911 SV%. Toronto will be hoping he plays at that same level or better this time around.
The Toronto Maple Leafs are currently in second place in the NHL’s Atlantic Division with 70 points. Unfortunately, the Tampa Bay Lightning are right behind Toronto with 68 points and have a game in hand.
Toronto’s management team and coaching staff will be hoping for Ilya Samsonov and Woll to string a few wins together. It is unlikely that Toronto will catch the first-place Boston Bruins, so they need to secure second place if they want home-ice advantage for round one of the NHL playoffs.
Woll is Toronto’s potential goaltender of the future, so if there was ever a time to impress management, now is that time. You can bet that management will be watching closely over the next two weeks. Murray’s injury could be a blessing in disguise for Woll, and he needs to take advantage of that. Just like any injury, it’s up to the next guy to step up and fill the void.