With Anthony Stolarz on the shelf for the next 4-to-6 weeks, the Leafs will need to be creative with how they navigate their crease over the next little while.

Considering his checkered past with injuries, there’s no question that they will have to continue to be semi-mindful of how they deploy Joseph Woll moving forward. It stinks that that’s the case, but the dude has had some bad injury luck early on in his career, so the last thing you want to do is overwork him.

Translation: This will have to be a joint effort.

Firstly, I do think Dennis Hildeby has earned the opportunity to get some more starts at the NHL level. That said, if you’re not going to call up Matt Murray in a situation like this one, what’s the point of even employing him? He’s literally waiting in the wings of the American Hockey League for insurance purposes. On top of that, weirdly, the Leafs currently possess the organizational depth necessary to recall him and not face any negative ramifications. Together, Hildeby and rookie Artur Akhtyamov would be more than fine.

The only caveat to all this is of course Murray’s health. On December 7^th, the two-time Stanley Cup champion was forced to leave a game against the Laval Rocket after ‘he ‘tweaked something.’ He went on to miss a few games before returning last Saturday night – in relief – against Bakersfield.

Simply put, assuming he’s back to full health, it should be an easy decision to recall Murray from the AHL. For starters, even though he’s performed admirably thus far through three NHL appearances, Hildeby’s just 23. Early on, it’s been quite evident that he needs more minor-league seasoning. And there’s nothing wrong with that. As mentioned, the Leafs possess the depth to execute this type of move, so they have the luxury of ensuring Hildeby’s development path continues along as planned. After all, there’s a reason they’ve picked their spots with his deployment to date. They’re being careful with him, and quite honestly, that’s the right decision.

Even though he hasn’t appeared in a National Hockey League game since April 2^nd, 2023, now’s as good a time as ever to see if Murray has anything left. Honestly, the more I think about it, the more I think this is a no-brainer decision for Brad Treliving and company. Furthermore, I think the pros grossly outweigh the cons. Calling up Murray would allow Hildeby to get some much-needed playing time in the AHL as opposed to being Woll’s backup. In this instance, the worst-case scenario would be that Murray plays well, and unfortunately, the Leafs lose him for nothing on waivers upon Stolarz’s return.

Without question, the juice is worth the squeeze.