The Toronto Maple Leafs made a flurry of transactions Friday morning and they all point in a positive direction that should leave fans feeling a little bit better.
Announced by the Leafs, headlining the multiple moves is the fact that goaltender Joseph Woll is officially back from his brief conditioning stint in the AHL and should be a part of Toronto's tandem going forward. In a corresponding move, young netminder Artur Akhtyamov has been sent back down to the Marlies after being Dennis Hildeby's backup against the Los Angeles Kings Thursday.
But that's not it. The Leafs announced that rookie sensation Easton Cowan is back on the NHL roster after just a few games in the AHL. Unfortunately, to do so the Leafs had to place captain Auston Matthews officially on injured reserve retroactive to Nov. 11.
Maple Leafs G Artur Akhtyamov has been assigned to the Toronto Marlies.
— Leafs PR (@LeafsPR) November 14, 2025
F Auston Matthews has been placed on injured reserve retroactive to November 11, 2025.
F Easton Cowan has been recalled from the Toronto Marlies (AHL).
G Joseph Woll has been activated to the roster.
Joseph Woll back with the Leafs, Cowan recalled from AHL
Matthews was rumoured to be missing at least a week, according to a recent report, and this makes it more official. With the captain on injured reserve, the earliest he could lace up for the Leafs again is Nov. 19 (if we're doing our math correctly) and that means he is missing at least the next two games for Toronto.
But thankfully, the crease is a little more at peace. After Hildeby stole the show against the Kings on Thursday night, saving 33 of the 37 shots on goal he faced and being one of the only members of the Maple Leafs to put in a positive performance in the 4-3 overtime loss, Woll is now here to provide more security.
The more established netminder was away from the team due to a personal issue. He then returned to practice, was assigned to the AHL for a conditioning stint and now is swiftly back up ready to make his season debut. We have to assume that he will be making the next available start when the Leafs host Connor Bedard and the Chicago Blackhawks on Saturday night.
With Woll back and a little bit of firepower added in Cowan, there is at least a little bit of hopeful thinking as the Leafs currently deal with the seismic hole that Matthews has left in the lineup.
Last season, Woll earned a .909 save percentage and 2.73 goals against average in the 42 games he appeared in for Toronto. That type of performance would be something Leafs fans would die for during this current season -- let's just hope the 27-year-old can put it together and maybe even rescue this team.