Maple Leafs Activate Anthony Stolarz
4:23 p.m.: Stolarz has officially been activated from IR with Hildeby headed down, the team announced.
11:54 a.m.: The Maple Leafs will activate goaltender Anthony Stolarz from long-term injured reserve before tonight’s tilt against the Golden Knights, head coach Craig Berube confirmed to reporters (including Mark Masters of TSN). It will be his first start in over two months. The team sent Dennis Hildeby to AHL Toronto to open up a spot, per PuckPedia, but they’re still one over the roster limit as they’ve yet to make a corresponding move for Henry Thrun‘s recall this morning.
The last 32 games of the season provide Stolarz a chance to erase what was a disastrous early going. Entering training camp as the clear-cut No. 1 option for the first time, he landed a four-year, $15MM extension during training camp as a result. It was well-deserved – he backstopped the Leafs to a rare playoff series win last year and finished fifth in Vezina Trophy voting while leading the league with a .926 SV% in 33 starts.
Injuries have consistently been an issue for the skilled 32-year-old, who averaged just 23 starts per season over the last four years. Tandem partner Joseph Woll started the year on personal leave, meaning Stolarz had a much higher-than-normal workload out of the gate. He immediately faltered, posting his worst stretch of hockey as an NHLer with a .884 SV% and 3.51 GAA in 13 starts. High-end goal support from the Leafs meant he still ended up with a 6-5-1 record, but his -8.3 goals saved above expected in such limited action were a noticeable stain on the track record of one of the league’s most consistently analytically sound netminders.
He’s spent the last few days with AHL Toronto on a conditioning assignment as he works his way back from his upper-body issue. He didn’t get into any game action with the Marlies, though.
Now, with Woll healthy, he and Stolarz can return to a more familiar split. Woll has had a fine year in his own right – his .911 SV% and two shutouts in 21 games certainly read as impressive, but he’s only accounted for 0.6 GSAx, according to MoneyPuck, suggesting there still might be some room for growth.
Unfortunately, Toronto’s roster crunch and Hildeby’s waiver-exempt status meant a three-goalie rotation would be unfeasible when Stolarz returned. With no roster limit, the Leafs likely would have opted to experiment with one. Hildeby, 24, has been one of the best stories of the season in Toronto. The 2022 fourth-round pick has spent virtually the entire season on the roster with Woll’s and Stolarz’s long-term absences.
He’s not just been an above-average third-string option; he’s arguably been the Leafs’ best netminder. His raw numbers are slightly under Woll’s, but he carries a wide advantage when accounting for team defense with 8.9 GSAx. Even his .910 SV% and 2.90 GAA in 19 appearances are strong stats for a largely unheralded rookie.
Nonetheless, he may need to wait until the roster limit disappears at the trade deadline to get his next NHL chance if Stolarz and Woll manage to stay healthy until then. Despite just signing a multi-year extension, Stolarz’s race to the finish could impact whether Toronto aims to shop him over the summer in order to open up a spot for the younger, cheaper Hildeby next season.
Image courtesy of Rick Osentoski-Imagn Images.
Maple Leafs Assign Anthony Stolarz To AHL On Conditioning Loan
The Toronto Maple Leafs are nearing the return of one of their netminders. The Maple Leafs announced that they’ve assigned Anthony Stolarz to the AHL’s Toronto Marlies on a conditioning loan.
Assuming that Toronto will want Stolarz to participate in at least one AHL contest before activating him from the injured reserve, he’ll likely only miss two more games for the Maple Leafs. The Marlies don’t play again until Friday, whereas the Maple Leafs have two games through Friday evening.
If he’s activated and recalled after the Marlies’ game on Friday night, it’ll mark the end of a 34-game absence for Stolarz. The veteran netminder has missed over two months of action for the Maple Leafs after suffering an upper-body injury against the Boston Bruins on November 11th.
There’s reason to believe that Stolarz had been dealing with the injury prior to being placed on the injured reserve in November. He had a shaky start to the 2025-26 campaign, managing a 6-5-1 record in 13 games with a .884 SV% and 3.51 GAA. That’s a monumental drop-off from how he performed from 2023 to 2025, securing a 37-15-5 record in 61 games with a .926 SV% and 2.10 GAA split between the Florida Panthers and Maple Leafs.
Unfortunately, since it’s unlikely that Toronto carries three netminders on their active roster, Stolarz’s return is bad news for Dennis Hildeby. The second-year netminder has been a boon to the Maple Leafs this season, managing a 5-6-4 record in 19 games with a .910 SV% and 2.90 GAA. Additionally, according to Hockey Reference, he’s earned a 6.7 Goals Saved Above Average.
Still, Hildeby is exempt from waivers, meaning the Maple Leafs can easily reassign him to AHL Toronto once prompted. Given that Stolarz and fellow netminder Joseph Woll are signed through the next several years, Hildeby will remain in the unenviable position of again waiting for an injury to happen to receive another opportunity at the NHL level.
Atlantic Notes: Stolarz, Kesselring, Ullmark, Poitras
Maple Leafs goaltender Anthony Stolarz has missed more than two months with an upper-body injury with little known beyond that. The netminder told reporters yesterday (video link) that he has been dealing with a nerve issue, one that simply needed time to heal but no one knew at the time how long he’d be out for. Stolarz was a top performer last season which earned him a four-year, $15MM extension in training camp. However, he struggled mightily before being shut down, posting a 3.51 GAA and a .884 SV% in 13 starts. He indicated that he still needs to get into a few practices with the team before he could potentially return which could put him in line to see game action at some point toward the back of their upcoming five-game homestand.
Elsewhere in the Atlantic:
- The Sabres will welcome back a defenseman today against Minnesota. Matthew Fairburn of The Athletic notes (Twitter link) that Michael Kesselring will return to the lineup after missing the last seven games with a high ankle sprain. Kesselring has been quiet in his first season with Buffalo after being acquired from Utah in an offseason trade. He’s still looking for his first point with his new team after being held off the scoresheet through 16 games while he’s averaging a little over 15 minutes a night on the third pairing. While Buffalo will get him back, that won’t be the case for center Joshua Norris who remains listed as day-to-day.
- Senators goaltender Linus Ullmark skated with the team on Friday for the first time since stepping away on a leave of absence last month, relays Postmedia’s Bruce Garrioch. However, there remains no timetable for him to return to Ottawa’s lineup. The 32-year-old struggled through the first two and a half months of the season, posting a save percentage of just .881, a career low by a considerable margin. For now, Leevi Merilainen and recent signee James Reimer will continue as their goaltending tandem.
- Bruins center Matthew Poitras has changed agents, TSN’s Darren Dreger reports (Twitter link). After being represented previously by John Walters from The Will Sports Group, the 21-year-old has signed with Newport’s Wade Arnott. Poitras has played in 33 games with Boston in each of the last two seasons but has played exclusively with AHL Providence in 2025-26. So far, he has six goals and 14 assists in 33 games in the minors. This is the final season of his entry-level deal and he will be a restricted free agent without arbitration rights next summer.
Snapshots: Stolarz, Konecny, Samuelsson
Toronto Maple Leafs goaltender Anthony Stolarz reached another milestone as he approaches his return. David Alter of The Hockey News revealed that Stolarz skated with the regular group today.
The 31-year-old will be eager to get back into action after what’s been a trying 2025-26 so far. Unable to play since November 11 after an upper-body injury, even beforehand, Stolarz struggled a bit. His .884 SV% and 3.51 GAA are below expectations from the upcoming four year extension worth $3.75MM per year, in which Toronto is banking on the late-bloomer to hold down their crease for his first true #1 role.
Winners of seven out of their last 10, the Leafs have turned the corner after it appeared their season was in serious danger. Just shy of a Wild Card spot for now, the team could finally have two-punch stability between the pipes. Joseph Woll has exceeded expectations since coming in for Stolarz, with a .921 SV% and 10-4-2 record.
There’s not yet a specific return date for Stolarz, but he and Woll figure to give Toronto a formidable duo entering the final push of the season.
Elsewhere across the league:
- Philadelphia Flyers star Travis Konecny has had an eventful last few days, but returned to the lineup tonight, shared by Jackie Spiegel of The Philadelphia Enquirer. Konecny missed Saturday’s game after an upper-body injury from the day before, and came back to practice yesterday, which seemed to be a good sign. The 28-year-old then left yesterday’s skate with another injury, unable to catch a break. Thankfully back tonight without a hitch, Konecny was ejected from the game for abuse of officials, as reported by Jordan Hall of NBC Sports Philadelphia. The Flyers top forward will look ahead to next Wednesday’s game in Buffalo.
- Buffalo Sabres defenseman Mattias Samuelsson was shaken up late in tonight’s loss against Florida, and Head Coach Lindy Ruff had no immediate update postgame, per Rachel Lenzi of The Buffalo News. Samuelsson has missed just two games on the year, his play as a top pairing blueliner a huge part of Buffalo’s revival of late. The 25-year-old appeared to be favoring his right arm after taking a spill. The Sabres are back in action Wednesday, hosting Konecny and Philadelphia, hopefully not sans their lefty minute-eater in the midst of his best campaign yet.
Atlantic Notes: Maple Leafs, Panthers, Bruins, Kesselring
The Toronto Maple Leafs could get a major boost to their goaltending on their upcoming road trip next week. According to David Alter of The Hockey News, Anthony Stolarz is nearing a return to the team and is expected to join them next week. It would be the first time the Maple Leafs have their normal goaltending duo available since November 11th.
Even before going down with an upper-body injury in mid-November, Stolarz didn’t look the same as he has in years past. He posted a 6-5-1 record in 13 games with a .884 SV% and 3.51 GAA. For comparison, with the Maple Leafs and Florida Panthers, Stolarz managed a 37-15-5 record in 61 games with a .926 SV% and 2.10 GAA from 2023-24 to 2024-25.
Meanwhile, in a separate update from Alter, the Maple Leafs haven’t yet decided on the possibility of surgery for defenseman Chris Tanev. Sharing a statement from head coach Craig Berube, Alter quoted the coach saying, “Not yet. I’m sure that’ll be soon here about what he’s going to do.” The 16-year veteran has been ruled out with a groin injury since December 28th, with the rest of the 2025-26 season in doubt for him.
Additional notes from the Atlantic Division:
- The Florida Panthers are missing a pair of potential forward options for their game tonight against the Ottawa Senators. Before the game, team reporter Jameson Olive announced that Brad Marchand and Matthew Tkachuk would not participate in tonight’s contest. Tonight marks two games in a row missed by Marchand, who participated in the team’s practice this morning (X Link). Tkachuk has been rumored to return for the last little while now, recovering from an adductor surgery from the offseason.
- Despite putting up a 10-spot on the New York Rangers earlier today, the Boston Bruins had a few higher-level forwards leave relatively early into the contest. In separate announcements, the Bruins shared that Elias Lindholm had exited the contest with a lower-body injury, and Morgan Geekie departed to attend to a family matter. Despite leaving the game with an injury after 12:05 of ice time, Lindholm finished the contest with two assists.
- According to an article from Bill Hoppe of the Times Herald, defenseman Michael Kesselring should make a return to the Buffalo Sabres relatively soon. Regardless of his current health status, the 25-year-old blue liner can’t make his return to the Sabres lineup until next Wednesday against the Philadelphia Flyers due to the IR activation requirements. He went scoreless in 16 games before going down with a lower-body injury on January 6th.
Latest On Anthony Stolarz, Matias Maccelli
The Toronto Maple Leafs have been without netminder Anthony Stolarz due to an upper-body injury for more than a month, with the goalie last playing Nov. 11 against the Boston Bruins. Stolarz was initially believed to be out only on a day-to-day basis, but Maple Leafs head coach Craig Berube told the media later on that Stolarz’s injury was “worse” than the team originally thought.
Yesterday, Berube answered questions from the media regarding Stolarz’s status, and per The Hockey News’ David Alter, he said Stolarz remains sidelined without a timeline to even begin skating once again.
When asked whether Stolarz’s injury could be season-ending, Berube said he “wouldn’t go there” but added that Stolarz is “not going to be on the ice anytime soon.” The fact that Stolarz looks increasingly likely to miss significant time with this injury is a serious issue for a Maple Leafs team that has struggled, as a whole, in 2025-26.
The Maple Leafs lost star winger Mitch Marner to free agency over the summer, and haven’t been able to find their footing this year. The regular season has been a formality for the Maple Leafs for more than a half-decade, with the club safely reaching playoff position in the Atlantic Division on an annual basis.
Things have been very different this year. The Maple Leafs have had far more trouble collecting points this regular season compared to the past, as they currently sit sixth in the Atlantic Division and four points adrift of the New Jersey Devils who occupy the Eastern Conference’s second Wild Card spot.
A factor in the team’s struggles this season has been goaltending. They surrender 3.26 goals against per game, which puts them just outside the top-10 in the NHL in terms of most goals against per game. Last season, Toronto surrendered the eighth-fewest goals per game in the NHL. Last season, Toronto got strong goaltending from its tandem of Stolarz and Joseph Woll, with Stolarz posting a .926 save percentage in 34 games and Woll registering a .909 save percentage in 42 games.
While Woll has kept up his high level of performance, he’s only managed to play in eight games. Stolarz, who played in 13 games before his injury, was not playing up to the standard he set last season, with an .884 save percentage. The result of injuries in the crease in Toronto has been that the Maple Leafs have had to rely on a revolving cast of goaltenders to fill in for its two established veterans.
24-year-old 2022 fourth-round draft choice Dennis Hildeby has filled in admirably, posting a .923 save percentage across 11 games. Early-season waiver claim Cayden Primeau, who has since returned to the Carolina Hurricanes organization, fared worse, posting a .838 save percentage in three games.
With Stolarz now poised to miss significant time, it’s entirely possible the Maple Leafs’ playoff hopes end up in the hands of Hildeby.
The towering Swede has been solid at the AHL level, but outside of his brief run this season and a short cameo of six games last year, he’s largely untested at the NHL level.
With so much at stake in Toronto, it’s fair to wonder whether Stolarz’s absence might prompt the club to seek outside reinforcement in net via the trade market.
Speaking of the trade market, one Maple Leafs player whose name is reportedly surfacing on the rumor mill is Matias Maccelli. According to The Fourth Period’s David Pagnotta, Maccelli’s “name is making the rounds” as his struggles to find his footing in Toronto continue. Maccelli has not played since Nov. 28 and has been a healthy scratch for seven consecutive games.
Clearly, this is not what Toronto envisioned when they traded a third-round pick to the Utah Mammoth to acquire Maccelli in June. Once viewed as a promising up-and-coming playmaker during his days with the Arizona Coyotes, Maccelli’s offensive production did not survive the franchise’s move north to Salt Lake City. He scored 17 goals and 57 points in 2023-24 but only managed 18 points in 55 games last season as he lost his grip on a regular lineup spot.
There was some hope that Maccelli could find chemistry with one of Toronto’s star forwards and be able to have a breakout season, lessening the blow of losing Marner. While Maccelli certainly has the talent to have that kind of breakout campaign, the desired chemistry with Toronto’s existing scorers simply hasn’t materialized.
A pending RFA with a $3.425MM cap hit, Maccelli’s best path forward might be to be traded out of Toronto. According to Pagnotta, that may be a path forward that is already being explored.
Photos courtesy of Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images
Injury Updates: Stolarz, Durzi, Cernak
Toronto Maple Leafs starting netminder Anthony Stolarz has been out with an upper-body injury for a little over a week, and at the moment it’s unclear at what point he’ll be fit to return to the ice. Maple Leafs head coach Craig Berube told the media today, including the Toronto Sun’s Terry Koshan, that Stolarz’s injury was “worse than we thought” and that at this point he does not have a timeline for Stolarz’s return to the ice.
While Berube did go on to add that “maybe tomorrow” Stolarz will be back on the ice, it doesn’t sound as though anything related to his recovery is set in stone. The Maple Leafs could certainly use a healthy Stolarz back on the ice and playing at his best. The team currently sits 27th in the NHL with a 9-9-2 record and averages the second-highest goals-against per game. Stolarz has an .884 save percentage in 13 games this season, but performed much better last year with a .926 save percentage in 34 games.
More injury updates from around the league:
- The Utah Mammoth are set to get one of their better defensemen back from injury. Cole Bagley of KSL Sports relayed word from head coach Andre Tourigny that injured blueliner Sean Durzi is now considered out on a day-to-day timeline and is nearing a return to the ice. Durzi returned to practice in a regular jersey today, having missed all of the Mammoth’s games since their Oct. 11 contest against the Nashville Predators. Injuries also limited Durzi significantly in 2024-25, as he got into just 30 games. The year before that, he was highly effective, scoring a career-high 41 points in 76 games.
- When Tampa Bay Lightning defenseman Erik Cernak stepped onto the ice for practice this morning, most observers assumed he’d be fit to play in the team’s game tonight against the Edmonton Oilers. That didn’t come to fruition though, as his injury kept him from taking on the Oilers tonight, meaning he’ll miss a second game with an undisclosed ailment. Cernak has been Tampa Bay’s No. 4 defenseman in terms of ice time this season, averaging 19:05 time-on-ice per game including 2:48 on average on the penalty kill, second-highest on the team.
Maple Leafs Claim Troy Stecher Off Waivers From Oilers
The Maple Leafs have turned to the waiver wire to add some depth on the back end. Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reports (Twitter link) that they have claimed blueliner Troy Stecher off waivers from Edmonton. To free up a roster spot, the team announced (Twitter link) that goaltender Anthony Stolarz has been placed on injured reserve retroactive to November 11th.
The 31-year-old is in his third season with the Oilers after being acquired from Arizona back in 2024. After playing somewhat of a regular role last season when he made 66 appearances, playing time has been much harder to come by in 2025-26. This season, Stecher has only played in six games and has been held off the scoresheet while adding three blocked shots in just under 14 minutes per night of playing time.
In his 10-year NHL career, Stecher has played in 566 games with six different teams and hasn’t been with a franchise for more than four seasons. He has 22 goals and 95 assists to his credit along with 629 blocked shots with a 17:25 ATOI.
Knowing that a cap crunch was coming with Zach Hyman nearing a return (he was officially activated earlier today and will make his season debut tonight), Edmonton had been looking to move Stecher in recent weeks. Clearly, no move came to fruition which resulted in yesterday’s waiver placement. With Stecher coming off the roster, the Oilers now have $212.5K remaining in their LTIR pool, per PuckPedia.
Toronto is currently without blueliner Chris Tanev who is out with an upper-body injury sustained in his first game after returning from a concussion. His injury has resulted in Dakota Mermis serving as the reserve defenseman in recent weeks. It’s possible that Stecher is being eyed as an upgrade for that spot although he could push Philippe Myers for playing time as well.
Stecher is in the final season of a two-year, $1.55MM contract which carries a $787.5K cap charge, making him a low-cost pickup for the Maple Leafs. He’s slated to become an unrestricted free agent in July.
As for Stolarz, he left Tuesday’s game against Boston due to an upper-body injury. Initially listed as out day-to-day, he’ll now miss at least a week past the 11th, ruling him out of Toronto’s next two games. He’s someone who could probably benefit from the rest as the 31-year-old has struggled mightily out of the gate, posting a 3.51 GAA and a .884 SV% in his first 13 appearances. Joseph Woll was recently recalled from his conditioning stint with the AHL’s Marlies and will be in uniform tonight against Chicago with Dennis Hildeby being their other active option.
Auston Matthews Out Roughly One Week, Anthony Stolarz Day-To-Day
Maple Leafs star Auston Matthews avoided a serious lower-body injury when he left Tuesday’s loss to the Bruins following a heavy hit from Nikita Zadorov. He’s been given a day-to-day designation but has been ruled out for tonight’s contest against the Kings with another absence or two expected after that, Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet reports. Starting goalie Anthony Stolarz also left that contest with an upper-body issue and has also landed a day-to-day designation and won’t play against the Kings, per TSN’s Mark Masters, but hasn’t been ruled out for Saturday against the Blackhawks. With backup Joseph Woll still working his way back to playing shape in the minors on a conditioning stint, Toronto announced they’ve recalled netminder Artur Akhtyamov from AHL Toronto to backup third-stringer Dennis Hildeby tonight. Center Scott Laughton was placed on injured reserve in the corresponding move.
The injury is another speed bump in what’s been another slow start from Matthews. The three-time Rocket Richard Trophy winner has seen his chance generation numbers drop significantly since his generational 69-goal season in 2023-24. In 17 appearances this season, he’s managed nine goals and 14 points. That’s a better pace than last year’s extreme fall-off that only saw him tally 33 markers in 67 appearances, but it’s still well below his career-average pace of 0.63 goals per game.
Luckily for the Leafs, their other stars have more than picked up the slack and helped them stay somewhat afloat at .500 despite faltering defense and goaltending. Matthew Knies and John Tavares are both flirting with 100-point paces early on, while William Nylander sits sixth in league scoring with 24 points despite missing three games with a lower-body issue.
But while Matthews was still one of the league’s most dominant two-way centers during last year’s scoring slump, the same can’t be said in the early going in 2025-26. He’s winning a career-best 59% of his faceoffs, but his possession metrics have faltered. The Leafs are only controlling 47.5% of shot attempts and 48% of expected goals with Matthews on the ice at even strength, the first time in his 10-year career that either number has been below 50%.
Nonetheless, Tavares’ resurgence, Nylander’s dominance, and Knies’ continued breakout should help the Leafs weather the storm for a few days. They’re expected to load up the top line with those three, at least for tonight, per Masters.
As for Stolarz, a reset – injury-related or not – is needed. The career elite backup/tandem option has been overtaxed with Woll unavailable, and his numbers have plummeted as a result. Among goalies with at least 10 appearances this season, Stolarz’s .884 SV% ranks 22nd out of 25 names, and his -5.3 goals saved above expected rank 23rd, per MoneyPuck.
Tonight will thus mark Hildeby’s fourth appearance in the last six days. He entered in relief of Stolarz against Boston twice, first on Nov. 8 and then on Tuesday, while starting in a 5-4 loss to the Hurricanes on Nov. 9. Despite his 0-2-0 record, he’s been the best goalie Toronto’s had to offer this season in his limited sample. He’s logged a .909 SV% and 3.74 GAA on 88 shots faced, good for 2.1 goals saved above expected behind the Leafs’ porous defense. He’s leaps and bounds ahead of what he showed in last year’s limited NHL stint, when he had a .872 mark in six showings with a 3-3-0 record.
If Akhtyamov is forced into action, it would be his NHL debut. The 24-year-old was a fourth-round pick by Toronto back in 2020 and is now in his second season in North America. After a decent rookie showing for the Marlies last year, he’s taken a step back with a .894 SV% and 2.82 GAA in six games to start this year, but still has a 4-2-0 record.
Meanwhile, Laughton is on his second injury-related absence of the season. He missed the first 13 games of the year with a lower-body injury and sustained an upper-body issue in just his second game back against the Bruins. Since his IR placement is retroactive to Nov. 8, he’s been ruled out for tonight’s game plus Saturday’s game against Chicago, but will be eligible to come off IR next Tuesday against the Blues.
Image courtesy of Nick Turchiaro-Imagn Images.
Auston Matthews, Anthony Stolarz Leave Due To Injury
9:18 p.m.: Toronto Head Coach Craig Berube has provided updates, shared by Jonas Siegel of The Athletic: Stolarz is expected to be “fine”, while Matthews’ injury has no timeline or severity yet, as Berube told Siegel.
8:18 p.m.: Tonight’s game in Boston has dealt a blow to the Maple Leafs: the team announced that Auston Matthews and Anthony Stolarz will not return due to injury. Matthews has been diagnosed with a lower-body injury after taking a hit from behind into the boards from Nikita Zadorov. Meanwhile, Stolarz exited after playing the entire first period. With the Leafs off to a rough start, it appeared the team was just shaking things up between the pipes, but now, the team’s #1 goaltender has been listed with an upper-body ailment on top of their superstar captain’s injury.
Toronto is still trying to find its way in its new, post “Core-Four” era. 8-7-1, the team has fallen to second-to-last in the Atlantic, despite scoring the most goals in their division entering tonight. Sinking the Leafs has been in good part their own end, as they’ve allowed 60.
Matthews, always subject to criticism whether more warranted or not, has done his part with nine goals in 16 games. Now 28, he has been mostly durable in his first nine professional seasons, averaging just shy of 70 games a year. While a hit into the boards from behind from a player like Zadorov sounds highly alarming, it was a relatively routine play. Matthews got up, finished a check on Zadorov moments later in the corner, then skated to the bench without seeming bothered. The captain went to the locker room, but all things considered, it is hopefully not a major injury.
Meanwhile, Stolarz completed the first frame before Dennis Hildeby took over in the net. Given that he had let in three goals on 10 shots, the update from the team that Stolarz is injured came as a bit of a surprise. The 31-year-old former top Flyers prospect is the latest example of a late-blooming goaltender, tasked with holding things down for Toronto into the near future. Stolarz was extended for four more years at $3.75MM after a strong 2024-25, where he posted a .926 in 34 games in his first campaign wearing the blue and white.
Thankfully, Stolarz appears to have avoided a serious injury, as Toronto awaits the return of Joseph Woll from personal leave. Woll has been practicing with the team and appeared with the AHL’s Toronto Marlies last weekend, but has no timetable to return yet. Cayden Primeau was a waiver casualty to Carolina last week after a short stint. Hildeby, currently serving as backup, has just eight NHL games under his belt.
The Maple Leafs are back in action on Thursday, hosting the Kings, and further details on the status of their superstar, Matthews, will be closely watched in the meantime.