Simply put, there’s no reason for the Maple Leafs to rush Anthony Stolarz back into action.

For starters, if there’s anyone who’s earned some extra time off, it’s the 30-year-old netminder who’s been lights out in year No. 1 with Toronto.

Any way you slice it, the Leafs are fortunate enough to possess some crease depth, so why not take advantage of it?

It’s a long season, there’s no reason to push the envelope in December.

If you’re keeping track at home, Stolarz has missed two games since leaving Thursday night’s contest against the Anaheim Ducks at the first intermission. Furthermore, the Leafs will play four times in the next seven days before enjoying a mini three-day holiday break. Undoubtedly, that will prove to act as a beneficial time to lick some wounds and prepare for the unofficial second half of the regular season.

On top of all, as mentioned, it’s not like the Leafs don’t possess other options that will give them a good chance to win on a nightly basis. Joseph Woll has been locked in over the past month, and while the sample size remains relatively small, Dennis Hildeby has proven that he can get the job done at the NHL level. The Leafs have four games remaining before the break —including one back-to-back this upcoming weekend. It would make logical sense to give Woll three of those games and Hildeby one —likely Friday night in Buffalo, or Saturday night at home against the New York Islanders.

There’s no need to overthink this, there’s no such thing as too much rest —regardless of what’s ailing Stolarz right now.

Long story short, Craig Berube and company should have a long-term focus in mind. The team’s currently in good standing, and throughout the early season, they’ve demonstrated the innate ability to persevere despite losing some key players. That’s a tell-tale sign of a good time.

Of course, muddying the waters is how mum the team has been surrounding Stolarz the past few days. In a flash, he went from being labelled day-to-day to being placed on injured reserve and not being eligible to return until at least Friday night in Buffalo.

You just never know. That said, in this instance, I’m choosing to believe that all this is just window dressing. Since it all went down, the Leafs have been adamant that it’s something minor/precautionary. In that case, there’s nothing wrong with milking it for a few extra days off.

See you on the 27^th against Detroit, Stolie!