<p>The Toronto Maple Leafs suffered a significant blow from the news wire on Tuesday with the announcement that goaltender Anthony Stolarz will be <a href="https://theleafsnation.com/news/leafs-anthony-stolarz-to-miss-4-6-weeks-mri-reveals-no-structural-damage-to-knee">undergoing a knee procedure,</a> with the estimated return timetable somewhere in the ballpark of 4-6 weeks.</p>
<p>The Leafs have been no stranger to the injury bug to start the 2024-25 season. From Auston Matthews to Jake McCabe and everybody in between, the team has suffered a total of eight to start the season, but the latest might be the toughest to overcome. It seems weird to suggest that losing your top-line, 60-goal capable two-way centre wasn&#8217;t the heftiest blow your team could take, but the team banded together and played some excellent hockey in Matthews&#8217; absence, as they usually tend to do, playing to a record of 7-2-0 during that time. Putting together that kind of a run without Stolarz won&#8217;t be that simple, and how the Maple Leafs plan to use their makeshift tandem of Joseph Woll and Dennis Hildeby is going to be a legitimate question over the next month and a bit.</p>
<p>The main reason it will take some extra attention to detail has nothing to do with Woll&#8217;s skill level. We all know that he is a capable #1 goaltender in this league when he&#8217;s healthy, and his stats back that up. He has a record of 8-4-0 with a goals-against average (GAA) of 2.24 and a save percentage (SV%) of .918 on the season, which is top-10 worthy across the league in both categories. The key word to focus on here is &#8216;healthy&#8217;. Woll has had well-documented troubles with the injury bug throughout his entire NHL career, and the Maple Leafs have already seen it firsthand this season. He tweaked something at the end of preseason after he was expected to assume the role of &#8216;1A&#8217;, which led to Stolarz taking the reins in net and giving the Leafs some excellent stability between the pipes until his counterpart was ready.</p>
<p>So, this begs the question of &#8216;how will the Leafs manage their starts&#8217;? And if it was up to me, it comes down to two key points; use Hildeby sparingly and pray Woll stays healthy.</p>
<p>It might sound brutal at first, but let me clarify that I&#8217;m not saying they need to run Woll into the ground. Hildeby has his kinks to work out, as do most rookie goaltenders, but he&#8217;s proven that he can keep the Maple Leafs in a game, so there&#8217;s no need to give him the Michael Hutchinson treatment and only use him when you absolutely have to. In that same breath, Woll got a raise on his last deal with the expectation that he could bear the load between the pipes when he had to. Having him and Stolarz splitting starts and both excelling in their roles has been a luxury the team isn&#8217;t used to, but whether or not Woll can handle the brunt of starts while the latter is out will be the true testament to how much depth the Maple Leafs really have in net.</p>
<p>Here&#8217;s a preliminary projection from our &#8216;<a href="https://theleafsnation.com/news/3-keys-to-the-maple-leafs-withstanding-anthony-stolarzs-absence">3 keys to the Maple Leafs</a> withstanding Anthony Stolarz&#8217;s absence&#8217; piece of what the next six weeks of no Stolarz (if necessary) should look like.</p>
<div class="mb-5"><strong class="text-lg font-bold">December 18, Dallas Stars — Woll</strong></div>
<div class="mb-5"><strong class="text-lg font-bold">December 20, Buffalo Sabres — Hildeby </strong></div>
<div class="mb-5"><strong class="text-lg font-bold">December 21, New York Islanders — Woll</strong></div>
<div class="mb-5"><strong class="text-lg font-bold">December 23, Winnipeg Jets — Woll</strong></div>
<div class="mb-5"><strong class="text-lg font-bold">December 27, Detroit Red Wings — Hildeby</strong></div>
<div class="mb-5"><strong class="text-lg font-bold">December 28, Washington Capitals — Woll </strong></div>
<div class="mb-5"><strong class="text-lg font-bold">December 31, New York Islanders — Woll </strong></div>
<div class="mb-5"><strong class="text-lg font-bold">January 2, New York Islanders — Hildeby </strong></div>
<div class="mb-5"><strong class="text-lg font-bold">January 4, Boston Bruins — Woll</strong></div>
<div class="mb-5"><strong class="text-lg font-bold">January 5, Philadelphia Flyers — Hildeby</strong></div>
<div class="mb-5"><strong class="text-lg font-bold">January 7, Philadelphia Flyers — Woll </strong></div>
<div class="mb-5"><strong class="text-lg font-bold">January 9, Carolina Hurricanes — Woll</strong></div>
<div class="mb-5"><strong class="text-lg font-bold">January 11, Vancouver Canucks — Hildeby</strong></div>
<div class="mb-5"><strong class="text-lg font-bold">January 14, Dallas Stars — Woll</strong></div>
<div class="mb-5"><strong class="text-lg font-bold">January 16, New Jersey Devils — Woll</strong></div>
<div class="mb-5"><strong class="text-lg font-bold">January 18, Montreal Canadiens — Hildeby </strong></div>
<div class="mb-5"><strong class="text-lg font-bold">January 20, Tampa Bay Lightning — Woll</strong></div>
<div class="mb-5"><strong class="text-lg font-bold">January 22, Columbus Blue Jackets — Hildeby </strong></div>
<div class="mb-5"><strong class="text-lg font-bold">January 25, Ottawa Senators — Woll</strong></div>
<div></div>
<div>As you can see, Hildeby is primarily utilized on back-to-backs with the occasional start mixed in between, starting seven of the 19 games ahead with Woll picking up the other 12. There are obviously a number of factors that go into this that we can&#8217;t account for on December 18, including the possibility of either goalie getting hot or going the other way and struggling as Ilya Samsonov did for much of last season. In the event that happens, the Maple Leafs might be in a situation where they need to dip their toes into their depth and see what NHL veteran Matt Murray or breakout prospect Artur Akhtyamov can do with a couple of starts. They found themselves in a predicament comparable to the latter in 2023-24 when Woll was injured and Samsonov was battling his own issues, calling on another veteran in Martin Jones to provide some stability in net. In a perfect world, the Maple Leafs aren&#8217;t in a situation where they have to turn to someone like Murray to save their season, but it&#8217;s important to know that they have the option.</div>
<div></div>
<div>Either way, the Maple Leafs are about to fight arguably their biggest bout of adversity in this young season, and it&#8217;s exceptionally important that the team in front of the goaltender, regardless of who it is, bring their A-game every night to keep the stress on their netminders to a minimum. It could be the difference between a long playoff run or another early exit.</div>
<h2>Join us for the first-ever TLN Nation Vacation!</h2>
<p><img data-recalc-dims="1" loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-114124" src="https://i0.wp.com/publish.theleafsnation.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/4/2099/08/TLN_Nashville_article.png?resize=727%2C404&#038;ssl=1" alt="" width="727" height="404" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/publish.theleafsnation.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/4/2099/08/TLN_Nashville_article.png?w=727&amp;ssl=1 727w, https://i0.wp.com/publish.theleafsnation.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/4/2099/08/TLN_Nashville_article.png?resize=300%2C167&amp;ssl=1 300w" sizes="(max-width: 727px) 100vw, 727px" /></p>
<p>Life is too short for ordinary vacations! For the first time ever, The Leafs Nation is headed on Vacation! Escape with TLN to Nashville, Tennessee, from March 20th to March 23rd, 2025, to watch the boys on the road. <a href="https://nationgear.ca/products/nation-vacation-toronto-to-nashville-2025">Click here for more info and to get your tickets!</a></p>


The Toronto Maple Leafs suffered a significant blow from the news wire on Tuesday with the announcement that goaltender Anthony Stolarz will be <a href="https://theleafsnation.com/news/leafs-anthony-stolarz-to-miss-4-6-weeks-mri-reveals-no-structural-damage-to-knee">undergoing a knee procedure,</a> with the estimated return timetable somewhere in the ballpark of 4-6 weeks.

The Leafs have been no stranger to the injury bug to start the 2024-25 season. From Auston Matthews to Jake McCabe and everybody in between, the team has suffered a total of eight to start the season, but the latest might be the toughest to overcome. It seems weird to suggest that losing your top-line, 60-goal capable two-way centre wasn't the heftiest blow your team could take, but the team banded together and played some excellent hockey in Matthews' absence, as they usually tend to do, playing to a record of 7-2-0 during that time. Putting together that kind of a run without Stolarz won't be that simple, and how the Maple Leafs plan to use their makeshift tandem of Joseph Woll and Dennis Hildeby is going to be a legitimate question over the next month and a bit.

The main reason it will take some extra attention to detail has nothing to do with Woll's skill level. We all know that he is a capable #1 goaltender in this league when he's healthy, and his stats back that up. He has a record of 8-4-0 with a goals-against average (GAA) of 2.24 and a save percentage (SV%) of .918 on the season, which is top-10 worthy across the league in both categories. The key word to focus on here is 'healthy'. Woll has had well-documented troubles with the injury bug throughout his entire NHL career, and the Maple Leafs have already seen it firsthand this season. He tweaked something at the end of preseason after he was expected to assume the role of '1A', which led to Stolarz taking the reins in net and giving the Leafs some excellent stability between the pipes until his counterpart was ready.

So, this begs the question of 'how will the Leafs manage their starts'? And if it was up to me, it comes down to two key points; use Hildeby sparingly and pray Woll stays healthy.

It might sound brutal at first, but let me clarify that I'm not saying they need to run Woll into the ground. Hildeby has his kinks to work out, as do most rookie goaltenders, but he's proven that he can keep the Maple Leafs in a game, so there's no need to give him the Michael Hutchinson treatment and only use him when you absolutely have to. In that same breath, Woll got a raise on his last deal with the expectation that he could bear the load between the pipes when he had to. Having him and Stolarz splitting starts and both excelling in their roles has been a luxury the team isn't used to, but whether or not Woll can handle the brunt of starts while the latter is out will be the true testament to how much depth the Maple Leafs really have in net.

Here's a preliminary projection from our '<a href="https://theleafsnation.com/news/3-keys-to-the-maple-leafs-withstanding-anthony-stolarzs-absence">3 keys to the Maple Leafs</a> withstanding Anthony Stolarz's absence' piece of what the next six weeks of no Stolarz (if necessary) should look like.
<div class="mb-5"><strong class="text-lg font-bold">December 18, Dallas Stars — Woll</strong></div>
<div class="mb-5"><strong class="text-lg font-bold">December 20, Buffalo Sabres — Hildeby </strong></div>
<div class="mb-5"><strong class="text-lg font-bold">December 21, New York Islanders — Woll</strong></div>
<div class="mb-5"><strong class="text-lg font-bold">December 23, Winnipeg Jets — Woll</strong></div>
<div class="mb-5"><strong class="text-lg font-bold">December 27, Detroit Red Wings — Hildeby</strong></div>
<div class="mb-5"><strong class="text-lg font-bold">December 28, Washington Capitals — Woll </strong></div>
<div class="mb-5"><strong class="text-lg font-bold">December 31, New York Islanders — Woll </strong></div>
<div class="mb-5"><strong class="text-lg font-bold">January 2, New York Islanders — Hildeby </strong></div>
<div class="mb-5"><strong class="text-lg font-bold">January 4, Boston Bruins — Woll</strong></div>
<div class="mb-5"><strong class="text-lg font-bold">January 5, Philadelphia Flyers — Hildeby</strong></div>
<div class="mb-5"><strong class="text-lg font-bold">January 7, Philadelphia Flyers — Woll </strong></div>
<div class="mb-5"><strong class="text-lg font-bold">January 9, Carolina Hurricanes — Woll</strong></div>
<div class="mb-5"><strong class="text-lg font-bold">January 11, Vancouver Canucks — Hildeby</strong></div>
<div class="mb-5"><strong class="text-lg font-bold">January 14, Dallas Stars — Woll</strong></div>
<div class="mb-5"><strong class="text-lg font-bold">January 16, New Jersey Devils — Woll</strong></div>
<div class="mb-5"><strong class="text-lg font-bold">January 18, Montreal Canadiens — Hildeby </strong></div>
<div class="mb-5"><strong class="text-lg font-bold">January 20, Tampa Bay Lightning — Woll</strong></div>
<div class="mb-5"><strong class="text-lg font-bold">January 22, Columbus Blue Jackets — Hildeby </strong></div>
<div class="mb-5"><strong class="text-lg font-bold">January 25, Ottawa Senators — Woll</strong></div>
<div></div>
<div>As you can see, Hildeby is primarily utilized on back-to-backs with the occasional start mixed in between, starting seven of the 19 games ahead with Woll picking up the other 12. There are obviously a number of factors that go into this that we can't account for on December 18, including the possibility of either goalie getting hot or going the other way and struggling as Ilya Samsonov did for much of last season. In the event that happens, the Maple Leafs might be in a situation where they need to dip their toes into their depth and see what NHL veteran Matt Murray or breakout prospect Artur Akhtyamov can do with a couple of starts. They found themselves in a predicament comparable to the latter in 2023-24 when Woll was injured and Samsonov was battling his own issues, calling on another veteran in Martin Jones to provide some stability in net. In a perfect world, the Maple Leafs aren't in a situation where they have to turn to someone like Murray to save their season, but it's important to know that they have the option.</div>
<div></div>
<div>Either way, the Maple Leafs are about to fight arguably their biggest bout of adversity in this young season, and it's exceptionally important that the team in front of the goaltender, regardless of who it is, bring their A-game every night to keep the stress on their netminders to a minimum. It could be the difference between a long playoff run or another early exit.</div>
<h2>Join us for the first-ever TLN Nation Vacation!</h2>
<img class="alignnone size-full wp-image-114124" src="https://publish.theleafsnation.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/4/2099/08/TLN_Nashville_article.png" alt="" width="727" height="404" />

Life is too short for ordinary vacations! For the first time ever, The Leafs Nation is headed on Vacation! Escape with TLN to Nashville, Tennessee, from March 20th to March 23rd, 2025, to watch the boys on the road. <a href="https://nationgear.ca/products/nation-vacation-toronto-to-nashville-2025">Click here for more info and to get your tickets!</a>

How should the Maple Leafs manage Joseph Woll and Dennis Hildeby’s starts until Anthony Stolarz returns?

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