Toronto Maple Leafs Take Worthy Gamble With Joseph Woll Extension
A rumour reported by Kevin Weekes on Monday stated that the Toronto Maple Leafs are going to sign netminder Joseph Woll to a 3-year contract extension come July 1st.
The contract is also rumoured to have a $3.5-$4 million AAV, which may be a risk for a goalie like Woll, who hasn't played more than 37 games (which was back in college) in a season since being drafted in 2016.
While Woll may be injury prone and still somewhat inexperienced, he checks all the boxes of a star NHL goalie.
This contract may be worth the risk for the Leafs.
Toronto Maple Leafs Take Worthy Gamble With Joseph Woll Extension
With the Leafs down 3-1 in their first round playoff series this past postseason to the Boston Bruins, Joseph Woll was given the net in a must-win game 5.
Woll was spectacular.
The rookie goalie saved 27/28 shots against in a 2-1 overtime victory, helping the Leafs force a game 6.
It was another do-or-die game for the Leafs, and Woll earned the start for the second straight game, and he did not disappoint.
Woll was perfect until 19:59 of the final frame, stopping 22/23 shots and leading his team to another 2-1 victory.
Unfortunately for Woll, the Leafs, and the entire fan base, the young netminder suffered an injury in game 6, and Ilya Samsonov was in net for game 7.
While not to the fault of Samsonov, the buds in blue fell short 2-1 to their nemesis, the Boston Bruins, failing to go deep in the playoffs yet again.
The 2024 playoffs defined what Joe Woll's NHL career has been up to this point. He's a young, confident, steady goalie who can steal games in the regular season and playoffs. However, injuries have hindered his career up to this point and there's no guarantee he'll stay healthy for a full season.
But if there's a goalie to take a chance on, it's Joseph Woll.
I haven't felt this confident in Leafs goalie in a long time, and most of the fan base can agree. He's proven he can play with (and even outperform) some of the NHL's top goalies and was arguably the team's MVP last season before going down with an injury.
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No matter what happens, I stand by this signing, and if Adin Hill and Matt Murray can lead their teams to a Stanley Cup, there's no reason Woll can't do the same.