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Latest On Anthony Stolarz, Matias Maccelli

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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

Maple Leafs’ Brandon Carlo Out Another Month

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Maple Leafs defenseman Brandon Carlo underwent foot surgery last week and will be out of the lineup for at least another month, head coach Craig Berube told reporters following last night’s loss to the Sharks (via Luke Fox of Sportsnet). He’s already been out nearly a month after sustaining the injury against the Kings on Nov. 13, so it’ll be around an eight-week absence for the righty when all is said and done.

Toronto’s defense will remain in structural disarray for a while yet. They’ve been without their top two right-shot options, Carlo and Chris Tanev, for the past month. Tanev saw a specialist earlier this week regarding his upper-body injury but is now seeking a second opinion after that meeting, per Lance Hornby of the Toronto Sun. He continues to skate with the team in a no-contact jersey, but it doesn’t appear his return is on the horizon, either.

Potentially adding to the pile of injuries is Oliver Ekman-Larsson, who left last night’s overtime defeat in the third period after falling awkwardly on his left leg (video via Sportsnet). It’s not as bad as it looked, though, and he’ll be back at practice tomorrow before making a determination on his availability for that night’s game against the Oilers, per Hornby.

Carlo, acquired from the Bruins at last year’s trade deadline to serve as a shutdown anchor for Morgan Rielly at even strength and play a penalty-killing role, had averaged 20:04 of ice time through the first 18 games of the season before exiting the lineup. He managed two assists with a +2 rating but didn’t have the two-way impact they hoped for, controlling just 42.8% of shot attempts and 45.5% of expected goals at 5-on-5.

The Leafs claimed veteran righty Troy Stecher off waivers from the Oilers last month after Carlo got hurt. With four points and a +8 rating in 11 appearances, the 31-year-old has been as good a stopgap option as they could’ve hoped for.

Latest On Oliver Ekman-Larsson

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A potentially large blow has hit the Maple Leafs, as defenseman Oliver Ekman-Larsson exited tonight’s game versus San Jose due to a lower-body injury, as shared by TSN Sports. The veteran had to be helped off the ice and did not return, as the Leafs fell in overtime to San Jose. Postgame, Head Coach Craig Berube told David Alter of the Hockey News that he will need further evaluation.

Latest On Morgan Rielly, Joseph Woll

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  • Two notable injury updates emerged from Toronto Maple Leafs morning skate today. First, TSN and The Athletic’s Chris Johnston reported that Joseph Woll hit the ice today for the first time since his injury last week. While it’s unclear how close he is to a return to the lineup, today’s news represents a positive development in his recovery from the lower-body injury that landed him on IR. In addition to Woll, defenseman Morgan Rielly was spotted at morning skate, per The Hockey News’ David Alter. Rielly missed Toronto’s last practice with an illness, but appears to be back to game readiness. Rielly is Toronto’s No. 1 defenseman, averaging 22 minutes per night with 22 points in 28 games this season.

Jarnkrok's Agent Refutes SHL Report For Next Season

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With consistent playing time being hard to come by for Maple Leafs winger Calle Jarnkrok this season, it wouldn’t be surprising to see him consider other options in July when he becomes an unrestricted free agent.  Earlier today, a report from Aftonbladet’s Hans Abrahamsson suggested that the veteran was likely to return to the SHL next season and sign with Brynas.  However, his agent, Newport’s Filip Andreason, announced (Twitter link) that there have been no discussions with any team in any league for the 2026-27 campaign.  Jarnkrok has been limited to just 19 games with Toronto so far this season and has only four points, all goals.  He carries a $2.1MM cap charge which has hindered their efforts to try to find him a fresh start elsewhere.  He’ll get that fresh start in the summer but his plans for next season remain unsettled.

Dakota Mermis Out One Month

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  • Staying in Ontario, the Toronto Maple Leafs aren’t expecting depth defenseman Dakota Mermis to return anytime soon. Lance Hornby of The Toronto Sun reported that Mermis, who was placed on injured reserve earlier today, is expected to miss a month with a lower-body injury. The nine-year veteran left Toronto’s game in the third period on Wednesday due to the injury.

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Maple Leafs Recall Henry Thrun

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The Maple Leafs announced they’ve recalled defenseman Henry Thrun from AHL Toronto. They placed defenseman Dakota Mermis on injured reserve in a corresponding move. He left Monday’s game against the Lightning after sustaining a lower-body injury on a hit from Gage Goncalves and is day-to-day.

Thrun, 24, will be making his Leafs debut if he gets into a game. The lefty was initially drafted by the Ducks in 2019 but opted not to sign with them when his collegiate career with Harvard ended in 2023, and saw his signing rights traded to the Sharks.

It was a smart pickup for a rebuilding San Jose club, as Thrun managed to work his way into the lineup for the majority of their games over the last two seasons. He was flexed between the NHL and AHL in 2023-24 but spent all of last season on the Sharks’ roster. A skilled skater and puck-mover who flirted with the point-per-game mark over his last two years in college, Thrun didn’t look entirely out of place. In 2023-24, he averaged 20 minutes of ice time per game, second to only Mario Ferraro among Sharks defenders. That usage dropped to 17:31 last year as they circulated some more depth in, losing out on some power-play time.

Through 119 games as a Shark, Thrun logged a 5-20–25 scoring line with a predictably gaudy -48 rating as a young player stepping into a defensive mess in San Jose. Still, his possession metrics left something to be desired. His 42.9% shot attempt share at 5-on-5 was still a couple of percentage points below how the Sharks were faring without him on the ice.

With San Jose having plenty of younger, higher-ceiling defenders in the pipeline, they dealt Thrun to Toronto over the summer for enforcer Ryan Reaves. Some had penciled Thrun into a bottom-pairing role alongside Oliver Ekman-Larsson to begin the year, but both Simon Benoit and Philippe Myers emerged ahead of him on the depth chart by the end of training camp. He was placed on waivers and, somewhat surprisingly, cleared, perhaps as a result of his $1MM cap hit.

Thrun hasn’t broken the bank in the minors, although he’s still been serviceable with nine points and a -5 rating through 19 AHL games. The younger William Villeneuve has emerged as the Marlies’ No. 1 this season. However, it’s not particularly surprising to see the Leafs opt for someone with NHL experience who may still have untapped potential, rather than Villeneuve, who has no NHL games to his name.

It took all of Mermis, Brandon Carlo, and Chris Tanev being on IR or LTIR, but Thrun will finally get his first look as a Leaf. That could come as soon as tomorrow against his former team after the Leafs said Morgan Rielly couldn’t practice today due to an illness. If he’s deployed more as an offensive specialist than how he was used in San Jose, there could be some legitimate benefits to reap on a team that’s done a good job of generating offense from its blue line this season.

Maple Leafs’ Bobby McMann Suspended One Game

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The NHL Department of Player Safety has announced that Toronto Maple Leafs forward Bobby McMann has been suspended one game for high-sticking.

The infraction in question occurred during last night’s Maple Leafs game, when the club took on the Tampa Bay Lightning. Early in the third period, Toronto was defending a 1-0 lead, and Toronto’s Simon Benoit took down Tampa Bay’s Jack Finley with a hard, legal check. Tampa Bay forward Gage Goncalves appeared to respond to the hit by delivering his own check to Maple Leafs defenseman Dakota Mermis, who was collecting a puck in Toronto’s corner. Things escalated from that point, with a scrum breaking out near the center of the ice and Goncalves fighting Maple Leafs forward Dakota Joshua.

Goncalves was assessed a match penalty for his hit on Mermis, with the key point of controversy on the play being the apparent knee-on-knee contact of Goncalves’ hit. During the center-ice scrum that broke out as a result of Goncalves’ hit, McMann responded to a shove from Lightning forward Oliver Bjorkstrand by hitting Bjorkstrand on the top of the helmet, with some force, with his stick. McMann was assessed his own match penalty on the play.

In their video explaining their decision, the Department of Player Safety said that McMann struck Bjorkstrand’s head “with sufficient force to merit supplemental discipline.” The Department of Player Safety drew a clear distinction between the aggressive manner in which McMann lowered his stick and the conventional way a player would be expected to lower a raised stick. They also considered the intentionality of the act, stating that McMann was “in full control” of his stick and his body at all times of the incident in question. They added that McMann “simply must display more control” to ensure his stick does not strike an opposing player’s head in such a manner.

McMann has no prior history of supplemental discipline at the NHL level, which is a factor the Department takes into account. This suspension will cost McMann the chance to play in Toronto’s game on Thursday against the San Jose Sharks. McMann has eight goals and 14 points across 29 games this season. He ranks seventh among Maple Leafs forwards in time on ice per game, averaging 14:19 per game with most of that being at even strength.

Chris Tanev Sheds Non-Contact Jersey

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  • Moving to Toronto, the Maple Leafs may also return a pair of injured players in the next few days. According to David Alter of The Hockey News, defenseman Chris Tanev is no longer skating in a non-contact jersey. Additionally, Alter reported similarly on defenseman Marshall Rifai, who has also shed his non-contact jersey. Tanev has missed much of the 2025-26 campaign due to an upper-body injury, and his absence has played a significant role in the Maple Leafs allowing over 31 shots a game from their opponents.

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Woll Should Only Miss A Week, Tanev And Rifai Take Part In Morning Skate

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While Joseph Woll landed on injured reserve today, the hope is that he will only miss the minimum of seven days, notes Chris Johnston of TSN and The Athletic (Twitter link).  Woll had been used quite heavily by the Maple Leafs since returning from a leave of absence, making eight starts in nine games and did well, posting a 2.44 GAA and a .923 SV%.  With Anthony Stolarz not close to returning, it appears Toronto has dodged the worst-case scenario when it comes to their other netminder.

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