During the 2024 offseason, the Toronto Maple Leafs made a move for the future of the franchise when they signed Joseph Woll to a three-year, $10.98 million contract. In doing so, the Leafs were looking to Woll to help anchor the crease during their upcoming contending window.
However, the Maple Leafs followed that move shortly with the signing of Anthony Stolarz in free agency as well. In doing so, they eventually morphed into more a 1a and 1b tandem, rather than the usual starter and backup format. But given both Woll and Stolarz’s history of injuries, that actually turned out to be an ideal setup to help preserve their health in the long run.
All in all, Woll went all out to prove that he was indeed a legitimate NHL goaltender in what turned out to be his first complete season in the league. The 26-year-old goalie compiled a solid 27-14-1 record with a 2.73 GAA and .909 save percentage. More importantly, he was counted upon by the Leafs to carry the team when Stolarz ended up missing almost two months between December of 2024 and February of 2025 due to a knee injury. During that time frame, Woll held down the fort by going 12-7-0 with a 2.92 GAA and .904 save percentage to keep the Leafs solidly in contention.
Similarly during the playoffs, after Stolarz went down with what later was confirmed a concussion during the series against the Florida Panthers in the second round, Woll calmly stepped in to give the Leafs every opportunity to win as a result. Unfortunately, it wasn’t enough as they eventually fell 4-3 in the series and were eliminated once again from Stanley Cup contention.
Taking a look also at some of the advanced statistics for Woll, he actually ranked 11th in the entire league in Goals Saved Above Expected (16.8), 11th in Wins Above Replacement (2.81) and third in High Danger Unblocked Shot Attempts Save % (.834) among goalies who have played at least 30 games this past season. Stolarz may have stolen much of the spotlight over the course of the year with his sensational play in net, but Woll certainly held his own as well to give the Leafs the much-needed strength in goal that they had sought for years.
As Woll continues to grow his game at the NHL level, he will look to further iron out his kinks and minor flaws, such as not staying too deep in the net and prevent more high shots from getting past him. But as of right now, the Leafs already have the confidence in him if they need to even throw his out as the starter every night.
Stolarz earlier received an A- for his outstanding performance in his first year as a Leaf. With Woll just slightly behind Stolarz in the overall statistical numbers across the board, Woll should thus come out with a respectable B+ for his solid showing during his 2024-25 NHL campaign.