Heading into 2024-25, the Toronto Maple Leafs had their most promising tandem in years. Anthony Stolarz had a strong track record as a backup and looked ready to take the next step, and Joseph Woll had an equally promising first real look as the Maple Leafs’ backup and also looked ready for the next step. The biggest question would be the impact of the increased workload, especially when Woll had a history of injuries, including one in the 2024 playoffs.

Now, through the 2024-25 season, it seems clear that both goaltenders rose to the occasion. Woll achieved the 41-start target for a 50/50 tandem, and his numbers were an improvement over his 2023-24 season. His playoff performance, well… that left more to be desired as he struggled to reproduce his unsustainably strong numbers of the previous year and had a tough time as the starter out of necessity in the Panthers series.

The season for Woll was remarkably smooth and even-keeled. Only once over the course of the year did he have three sub-.900 save percentage games in a row, and only once was he pulled.

That’s not to say that there isn’t room for Woll to grow. Despite staying healthier and being able to grab more starts than Stolarz, his counterpart was the better goaltender and the one that the Maple Leafs trusted as their starter in the playoffs until Sam Bennett forced the change to Woll after concussing Stolarz.

Woll had some initial struggles at the beginning of the season, which isn’t completely unexpected when there is a new coaching system as well as the fact that there were key new faces on the blueline, and the issues with centre depth Toronto faced at the beginning of the year also wrecked some havoc on the team defence approach. The absence of Auston Matthews and giving his minutes to John Tavares and Max Domi certainly results in a greater lapse in defensive zone coverage from forwards.

The technical issues that Joseph Woll seemed to be dealing with were primarily with overcommitment and adjusting to being a more effective cheater for when a pass would go east/west. While Woll was capable in the high slot area, close proximity cross crease passes, as well as finding low net presences in a timely manner, were a struggle. Woll produced some highlight reel, circus saves in attempting to combat these plays, but I’m sure Curtis Sanford will be working on ways for Woll to be better set for the second and third chances, not just making the dramatic first stop.

Out of the 53 goaltenders who fit the minimum criteria, it is pretty safe to say that Joseph Woll falls in the top quarter of the league statistically. While his numbers might not have matched his tandem partner, Woll demonstrated that while not elite or Vezina-calibre, he was a reliable presence in goal that put him amongst the top statistical netminders for the second year running.

Between Woll and Stolarz, the Maple Leafs had a trustworthy starter in net for 74 out of 82 games and all at the combined cap hit of $3.26M. In 2025-26, the cap hit for the tandem jumps up to the still incredibly reasonable number of $6.17M as Woll’s 3-year deal at $3.67M begins.

2025-26 also marks the final year of Anthony Stolarz’s contract, and while the Leafs will likely look to re-sign the 32-year-old netminder, there is good reason to believe that the Leafs will be looking for Woll to establish himself as the top-performing half of the tandem. A big part of establishing that will be through improved playoff performance.

Woll looked like a playoff performer based on his 2023 experience against the Panthers and even his 2024 outings against the Bruins. The 2025 relief effort against the Panthers resulted of him having the second-worst Goals Saved Above Expected/60 of any goaltender that played four or more games in the postseason. While the Panthers have left a trail of struggling goaltenders in their wake and have the Stanley Cup Finals berth to show for how difficult they are to face, every outing aside from Woll’s Game Six shutout and his Game Four 35-save effort left a lot to be desired as he finished with a .886 playoff save percentage.

Woll will head into 2025-26 as one of the players Leafs fans will be excited to see return, and after years of struggling to find the right fit for the Maple Leafs in net, it is doubtful that Brad Treliving is looking to tinker with that success.