The Toronto Maple Leafs will face the next four to six weeks without goaltender Anthony Stolarz in the net. He will be undergoing surgery to fix an issue within his knee.
The positive news is that there is no structural damage to his knee. This was a relief for the Maple Leafs as the procedure hopefully be quick. He will undergo surgery on Wednesday, December 18th in New York. He will be out of the lineup for four to six weeks as he will undergo surgery on his knee.
Stolarz has played 17 games and has a record of 9-5-2. He has one shutout this season with a save percentage is a .927. He is one of the best goalies in the league and his talent has not gone unnoticed.
Stolarz has a Stanley Cup Championship from his time with the Florida Panthers. He was signed by the Maple Leafs in July, and he was originally signed as the backup goaltender. He quickly proved to be a needed asset, allowing him to move up to a starting position.
With Stolarz out, the Maple Leafs will rely more on goaltender Joseph Woll. Rookie goaltender Dennis Hildeby will back him up.
Woll had played in 11 games for the Leafs with a record of 8-4-0 and a save percentage of .918 this season. Woll started against the Detroit Red Wings on December 14th, where he had 22 saves.
The 23-year-old rookie goaltender, Hildeby, was called up from the Marlies AHL team. He has made a handful of appearances this season in the NHL and has a 2-1-0 record.
December 15th, Hildeby started against the Buffalo Sabres where he had 27 saves on 30 shots on goal.
The Maple Leafs GM Brad Treliving is confident in his team during this time.
“I have a lot of confidence in our group. Joe (Woll) has played extremely well. I said it earlier. This is nothing new for us. We’ve been dealing with some injuries. It is why we have depth at all of the positions.
Joe has been tremendous. Joe and Anthony as a pair have been tremendous for us. But we have Dennis (Hildeby), Matt (Murray), and Double-A (Artur Akhtyamov) down there. We feel we have some depth at the position. This is why you have it.”
This period without Stolarz will allow forWoll and Hildeby to grow their skills with more ice time.
The Maple Leafs have great goaltending options that they can call on for the next few weeks. Their goaltender depth consists of three goaltenders between their AHL team and the Maple Leafs.
The Maple Leafs are at the top of the Atlantic Division with a 19-10-2 record. Without Stolarz in the lineup, the Maple Leafs are trusting their team to play the way they have been.
“(Joseph Woll) has been great for us, and (Dennis Hildeby) has been solid when he’s been up and had to play.” Captain Auston Matthews is confident that his team has what it takes to stay on top.
The Maple Leafs will face the Dallas Stars on December 18th.
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