These 3 Things are Holding the Maple Leafs Back From Making a Deep Run

Toronto Maple Leafs v New York Islanders
Toronto Maple Leafs v New York Islanders | Rich Graessle/GettyImages
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Goaltending Health

The goaltending this year has been spectacular this season. Stolarz has been so good that if you asked the Leafs front office they would probably tell you they're surprised by his level of play. Woll had higher expectations than Stolarz heading into this year but he has exceeded the expectations set for him before the year.

Before the season, I was skeptical of this plan to go with Stolarz and Woll. I thought neither guy had the experience to trust them. Stolarz's highest number of games played in a single season before this season was 28 in 2021-22 with Anaheim and Woll's highest number of games played in a single season was last year when he played 25 (stats from NHL.com).

There are a few reasons they haven't had the chance to get that experience, but part of it is that both guys have had an injury history. Stolarz has struggled with knee issues throughout his career, which is why he is currently out and Woll has had a few different injuries that held him out.

Health is something that still concerns me with these goaltenders. I don't think enough people are talking about whether Stolarz will be able to keep up the high level of play when he comes back from his injury. He is currently sitting at a .927 save percentage, 13.26 goals saved above average and 14.59 goals saved above expected through 17 games played. I don't expect him to continue his play at those outstanding numbers, but I would still be thrilled if he could stay around a .915 to .920 save percentage (stats from EvolvingHockey.com).

Woll is always a question mark for me when it comes to health. We saw him miss game seven last year due to injury, so I'm always nervous about him.

Hopefully, this goaltending room can stay healthy and Stolarz can find his form when he returns from his knee injury. If both stay healthy and continue their form, the Leafs have a solid chance to go deep in the playoffs.

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