"Let's make no real mistake, especially after losing a star regular-season forward; goaltending is arguably the strength of this team. It's certainly the club's backbone and perhaps the main reason the Maple Leafs won the Atlantic Division in 2024-25. The Leafs finished second in five-on-five save percentage and were among the worst teams in the league territorially. They were seventh in the league in goals per game and counterattacked with regularity, as they played some version of rope-a-dope hockey for long stretches of the season."
"The Leafs' goaltending success was rooted in its tandem approach. Both Woll and Stolarz missed time last season; it's easy to forget, but Woll played 42 games to lead the team in starts, followed by Stolarz's 34 games. While Stolarz can clearly hold the fort for a stretch of time, the 34 games he played last season represent a career high. It's difficult to ascertain how long the Leafs can trust him to hold up; ideally, they won't ask him to carry a massive workload."
Joseph Woll has taken an indefinite leave of absence, prompting the Maple Leafs to sign James Reimer to a PTO and re-sign Anthony Stolarz. Those moves create goaltending insurance amid questions about workload and reliability. Goaltending served as the team's backbone that helped win the Atlantic Division in 2024-25, with the Leafs ranking second in five-on-five save percentage despite poor territorial play. The team relied on a tandem approach: Woll led the club with 42 starts while Stolarz posted a career-high 34 games. Stolarz's extension at $3.75 million per season reflects trust, but durability concerns remain.
Read at Maple Leafs Hotstove
Unable to calculate read time
Collection
[
|
...
]