Toronto Maple Leafs Faced With the Most Predictable Problem in Team History

The Toronto Maple Leafs tried to add a top goalie to their roster this summer.

We know for a fact that the Toronto Maple Leafs at least tried to trade for Jacob Markstrom. We suspect strongly that they made a pitch for Juusi Saros, and we assume they at least inquired about Jordan Binnington.

Ultimately, they went with Joseph Woll for the next four years (this year plus extension) and signed Anthony Stolarz to be their back-up/ 1B.

Despite the fact that the Leafs now have three NHL goalies on their roster and the odds are that at least one of them turns in a good season, and despite the advantages of having so little money invested in the game's most mercurial position, this was not the Leafs first choice.

The reason it wasn't their first choice is because for all his potential, Joseph Woll has struggled to stay healthy. Matt Murray is the poster boy for hockey related injuries and Anthonty Stolarz hasn't played 40 games in a season since 2019-20 when he did it in the AHL.

The Leafs entire goaltending bet is predicated on the fact that Joseph Woll's injuries were fluky and not related to any pre-disposed penchant for getting hurt. There was even a news story go around this week about Woll's new Pilates strengthening routine and how he was in the classic hockey cliché "best shape of his life."

So about that.......

Toronto Maple Leafs Faced With the Most Predictable Problem in Team History

Woll is going to sit out tonight's game against the Montreal Canadiens. The injury prone goalie that the Toronto Maple Leafs bet on to for Auston Matthews Era will begin his stint as their starting goalie in the press-box nursing an injury.

Because this is the NHL, there is no information on the injury, and even reporters who should know better go along with the upper and lower body euphemisms. Someone else wrote that he had a strained lower-body (!) so I'm just going to go ahead and assume this is a groin pull until I learn otherwise.

I think we can all agree that there isn't anything on the lower body that can be injured and be minor for a goalie. Whether its the ankle injury from last year, the knees or the groin, this is bad news for the Leafs.

Despite having the most obvious thing to ever happen happen, the Leafs will still have to soldier on and play the Canadiens with Anothony Stolarz starting. Unfortunately for Stolarz, it appears the Leafs will also be sitting Timothy Liljegren, while inexplicably playing Ryan Reaves (I don't care at all if he has to do a staged fight over a pre-season scuffle with a minor leaguer) and having not signed Mitch Marner, which at least the Woll injury is overshadowing for one game.

On a positive note, the existence of Matthews, Marner, Tavares and Nylander all but guarantees the playoffs! Here's hoping the boys go 82-0.