Maple Leafs place Joseph Woll on IR, what it means for the club's goaltending

The Maple Leafs have placed goaltender Joseph Woll on injured reserve.

Woll suffered a lower-body injury during the Leafs’ 5-1 victory in Carolina against the Hurricanes on Thursday and was replaced by Dennis Hildeby after the second period.

The Leafs also announced on Saturday morning that they have recalled goalie Artur Akhtyamov from the Toronto Marlies. Woll’s IR status is retroactive to Dec. 4.

What does this mean for the Leafs?

It’s an understatement to say the situation is less than ideal. With Anthony Stolarz already out and with no clear indication as to when he might return, it’s Hildeby’s time to shine. The 24-year-old doesn’t have much choice.

Going into the Leafs’ home game on Saturday against the Montreal Canadiens, Hildeby is 1-2-1 with the Leafs in 2025-26, posting a .919 save percentage and a 2.86 goals-against average.

Stolarz has not played since Nov. 11, when he suffered an upper-body injury in a game against the Boston Bruins.

Hunt for veteran help

If he wasn’t already, Leafs general manager Brad Treliving has to try to acquire a veteran goalie, if only for insurance reasons. It’s why the Leafs claimed Cayden Primeau off waivers from the Hurricanes in October, only to see Primeau get claimed by Carolina early in November.

In 12 games with the Marlies, Akhtyamov is 7-5-0 with a .896 save percentage and a 3.04 goals-against average.

The game against the Canadiens marks the first of a five-game home stand for the Leafs.

No matter who is in net, the goaltending will have to be sharp as the Leafs continue to try to get back into a playoff position in the Eastern Conference.

A three-game winning streak has put the Leafs in a better spot, but they still were two points behind the Canadiens for third place in the Atlantic Division through games on Friday, and were four points out of the second wildcard spot in the East.

More to come …

tkoshan@postmedia.com

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