It’s evident that the Toronto Maple Leafs’ goaltending situation has been hit or miss during the current era of the Core 4, as they’ve always lacked a strong and steady tandem. Whether it’s having a starter and no reliable back up or not having someone that could steal games when the other struggles, it was something that needed to be addressed as the history hasn’t been great.
There was Frederik Andersen, whose play started to trail off towards the end of his contract. There was the inconsistency of Jack Campbell– which continued with the Edmonton Oilers–, Petr Mrazek’s questionable play and Matt Murray’s injury history that derailed a potential come back. While the payoff with Ilya Samsonov worked out at times, last season was a reason why he shouldn’t be the answer in net.
However, Joseph Woll showed that he could very well be the starter that this team needs, but even his ability to stay healthy is a concern. His three-year, $10.98 million extension shows that the team does have faith in his game. The addition of Stanley Cup winner with the Florida Panthers Anthony Stolarz, actually gives this team a competitive tandem in the crease for the first time in a long time.
Woll’s Playoffs Reason for Optimism
It was a tale of two seasons for Woll in just his second season in the NHL. It wasn’t as great as his first stint in 2022-23 season, where he went 6-1-0 with a .932 save percentage, as Woll had a 12-11-1 record with a .907 SV%.
While Woll stood tall at times, there were moments where he lacked the confidence that he had before, giving up goals at the worst possible time. Woll would play great, but it was that one bad goal that would be a difference maker in a game. Then there was the fact that the team as whole were much worse when it came to the play in their own end. Let’s not forget the fact that Woll missed a good chunk of the season due to a high ankle sprain.
However, when Samsonov’s play wasn’t where it needed to be in the playoffs, Woll came in and shined in order to give his team a fighting chance in their series against the Boston Bruins. He essentially was the difference maker, posting a .964 SV% and .086 goals against average. That’s the kind of goaltending that would win you a series. However, as things were looking up, Woll missed the decisive Game 7 with an injury which he appeared to sustain in Game 6.
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Had Woll been healthy, who knows what could’ve happened. He was dialled in when the Maple Leafs were on the brink of elimination, making stellar saves at every point in the series. Woll had terrible injury luck as that’s something general manager Brad Treliving wants to dive into in order to keep him healthy as he has shown the ability to be an NHL goalie. It’s a small sample, but the contract is reassurance they he’s their best option for the future and he has shown it. However, he does have some competition. (from, ‘Brad Treliving: Maple Leafs have to ‘dig into’ Joseph Woll’s history of getting injured’, Toronto Sun – 5/10/24)
Stolarz’s Numbers Show He Could Steal Spot
When the Maple Leafs had a strong and capable goaltender, they really haven’t had a strong backup to step up when things go south or to provide some balance in net. It’s been tough for the Maple Leafs to find one in the past, but they may have found one in Stolarz.
The starter role is up for grabs and while Stolarz has been a backup most of his career, he has the potential to steal the spot from the young Woll. He’s even said that he’s excited for the opportunity and that both goalies will battle it out. Even though he is late in his career, his size, play and numbers back it up.
When you look at his games played (108) and his age (30), Stolarz might not have the ability to become a starter given where he’s at in his career. However, he has experience and a championship to back it up. He played in 27 games last season and among goaltenders who played 1,000 minutes, Stolarz posted some of the best numbers in the league at five on five. He had the best SV% of .945 and GAA of 1.45, the fourth best goals saved above average with 15.96 and the best high danger save percentage of .893. While he was the backup to Sergei Bobrovsky with the Panthers, those are some impressive numbers.
Even when he was with the Anaheim Ducks from 2020-21 to 2022-23, the team itself was on the decline as they were one of the weaker teams in the league. However, Stolarz posted some decent numbers as the backup to John Gibson, having a .915 SV% and .831 HDSV% at 5-on-5. Stolarz has a bigger sample than Woll, but compared to other goalies in the league, it’s still small.
Added Depth Makes Maple Leafs Deeper
While the sample size for both goaltenders is something to be cautious about, they have performed well as of late. The Maple Leafs are betting on that based on what they’ve done lately and they could be one of the better tandems the team has had in recent years.
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Adding Stolarz definitely does make the Maple Leafs deeper in goal and the opportunity is there for him to earn more starts. If both goalies perform well, then the team will have one of the best tandems that they’ve had in some time. Both can earn an equal amount of starts that way one isn’t over worked over the other. Even if the injuries start to re-occur with Woll, the size and play that Stolarz has shown could help provide some stability in the crease.
This is the best-case scenario that the team can hope for. We’ll find out soon enough if everything will pay off.
Statistics from Natural Stat Trick and Hockey Reference.
