The Toronto Maple Leafs are putting a lot on the line with Joseph Woll

The Toronto Maple Leafs have a lot riding on Joseph Woll this season. He needs a stellar season after the Leafs decided not to acquire a top NHL starting goaltender through trade this past off-season.

The Toronto Maple Leafs offense is slightly worse than last season because they won't have Tyler Bertuzzi and did not replace him. The defense is better assuming Chris Tanev is healthy and avoids declining, but the play of a goaltender can make or break a team's season. Woll needs to stay healthy and have a strong season to prove himself. Not only that, but he will need to stand tall and help the Leafs have a long playoff run.

Woll finished last season with a 12-11-1 record in 25 games while posting a 2.94 GAA and a .907 SV%. He will be asked to play double or almost double the number of games this season. It's a task that could be good or bad for the Leafs.

A healthy Woll playing 40-50 games and winning 25-30 of them is what the Leafs are hoping for. However, if Woll crumbles, the Leafs season could crumble with him. (All stats from hockey-reference.com)

The Toronto Maple Leafs are putting a lot on the line with Joseph Woll

The best thing for the Leafs this season will be if Woll can carry the momentum he had during his three appearances in the 2024 playoffs. Woll's playoff stats were near-perfect. He posted a 0.86 GAA and a .964 SV% while allowing two goals on 56 shots. The stats are from two games plus a period of play, but it shows the level he can play at.

The backup option is Anthony Stolarz, who has 108 games of NHL experience. Stolarz had a good season with the Stanley Cup-winning Florida Panthers last season. He posted a 16-7-2 record in 27 games and finished with a 2.03 GAA and a .925 SV%. Having Stolarz and Woll playing as a tandem is the Leafs best option unless one of them runs away with the number-one goaltending job.

The Leafs are not only betting on Woll having a good season this year but also on him being the Leafs goaltender of the future. Last season, Woll and the Leafs agreed to a three-year contract extension worth $3.66 million annually. Woll's new deal begins next season. He is in the final season of his current deal worth $766,667. (All salary information from puckpedia.com)

It has been a long time since the Leafs have had a homegrown goaltender that they drafted and developed into their number-one goaltender. The last homegrown goaltender for the Leafs who made an impact with the Leafs is Felix 'The Cat' Potvin. Potvin was drafted by the Leafs in the second round of the 1990 draft with the 31st overall pick. He became their number-one goaltender during the 1992 season and held that role until the end of the 1997-98 season when he was traded for Brian Berard.

Can Woll be the Leafs next Felix Potvin? Time will tell, but the 2024-25 season will be his first real test. Hopefully, the future for Woll and the Leafs is a bright one.