Toronto Maple Leafs
Woll Injury Update: Maple Leafs Bring In New Goaltender
The Maple Leafs lose Joseph Woll to injured reserve and call up Artur Akhtyamov, pushing Dennis Hildeby into a starting role.
The Toronto Maple Leafs are suddenly staring at a serious problem in goal. Joseph Woll has been placed on injured reserve retroactive to Dec. 4, and with Anthony Stolarz still sidelined from an upper-body injury suffered on Nov. 11, the team is being forced into immediate changes. Toronto has called up Artur Akhtyamov from the AHL, and Dennis Hildeby is now expected to carry the load until further notice.
Woll’s Injury Leaves Toronto Scrambling
Woll’s latest setback came during Tuesday’s win, cutting short what had been a strong run. This marks yet another interruption in a season already disrupted by a leave of absence, and the Maple Leafs have to be worried that this trend is going to continue. For now, with both their NHL goaltenders are out at the same time, the Leafs have no choice but to make do with what they have.
Toronto now heads into Saturday’s matchup against Montreal with Hildeby as the starter and Akhtyamov as his backup. Hildeby is being thrown into the deep end and the Leafs will see if he can swim or if he’ll sink. To his credit, the players seem to have confidence he can carry the load. Despite modest AHL numbers, his NHL sample has been promising—a .919 save percentage and top-five goals saved above expected among goalies with at least five games played.
“Yeah, it sucks,” Matthew Knies said. “He’s been the backbone of our team on this road trip… but Hildeby stepped in and did a great job.” “Beast came in and was unbelievable for us. I mean, they’re a high-shot-volume team, and they get guys to the net, and he handled it with a lot of confidence, made some big saves for us,” Matthews said.
Can Hildeby Handle the Workload?
Whether he’s ready or not, Hildeby is Toronto’s No. 1 for the moment. That is, until he either falters or the Leafs can find another netminder via trade. Toronto needs him to do more than spot-start. Akhtyamov’s call-up signals how thin the margin is. If Hildeby can’t carry the load, a trade may become unavoidable.
For Hildeby, it’s the biggest opportunity of his career. For the Leafs, they might have one finger on the panic button.
Next: Maple Leafs News and Rumors: Woll Injury, Stolarz Concerns, Trade Talk
More News
