The Toronto Maple Leafs officially placed Joseph Woll on injured reserve Saturday with a lower-body injury, and in response brought up goaltender Artur Akhtyamov from the Marlies. The move is retroactive to Dec. 4, but it doesn’t soften the blow: Woll is out, and the Leafs suddenly have a major problem in net.
Woll left Thursday’s 5–1 win over Carolina after making a second-period save that clearly didn’t sit right. He never returned for the third, and now the timeline becomes a waiting game. What makes this tougher is how much the Leafs have leaned on him lately. Since returning to the lineup on Nov. 15, he has basically taken over the crease, starting eight of the last nine games and posting a 4-3-1 record and a .927 save percentage despite missing almost all of camp and the start of the year for personal reasons.
His teammates didn’t hide how much the injury stung. “It sucks, obviously,” Matthew Knies said Thursday.“He’s been the backbone of our team for this road trip… You don’t want to see him go down like that.” Auston Matthews echoed the same sentiment: nobody wants to see their most reliable goalie get hurt, especially when the team’s been riding him this hard.
🎙️| Auston Matthews | Post Game vs. Carolina Hurricanes | Dec 4 pic.twitter.com/i7ZwCTk6G9
— Toronto Maple Leafs (@MapleLeafs) December 5, 2025
As if losing Woll wasn’t enough, the Leafs still don’t have Anthony Stolarz. He’s been out with an upper-body injury since Nov. 11 and hasn’t even been back on the ice yet. There’s no timetable for him, which leaves Toronto without its top two goalies. From there, it’s next-man-up territory. “This stuff happens and, you know, you just handle it,” head coach Craig Berube said when asked about the goaltending situation.
That “next man” is Dennis Hildeby. The 6’7” rookie will take over the crease for now, and while his NHL experience is limited, he’s held his own when called upon. Hildeby is 1-2-1 with a .917 save percentage in seven appearances, though most of those have come in relief rather than starts. Still, he’s keeping the right mindset. “You always have to be ready,” he said after Thursday’s win. “Just do the best you can and enjoy the moment.”
The Leafs are officially in “survive and stabilize” mode in goal. Until Woll and eventually Stolarz get back, Hildeby and Akhtyamov are in line to carry the load. Whether it’s enough remains to be seen.