Joseph Woll Declines To Discuss How Injury Occurred And When We Could See Him Back In The Maple Leafs' Lineup
Woll missed part of last season with a high-ankle sprain, plus he picked up an injury ahead of in Game 6 against the Bruins last spring.
Joseph Woll took to the ice on Friday for his first full practice with the Toronto Maple Leafs since the day before the team's season opener in Montreal.
The goaltender has been on injured reserve since last Wednesday with what he said was "a little bit of groin tightness." Woll admitted that he believes he picked up the injury in the Maple Leafs' final practice before the regular season.
"It was right around that time. I wasn't good enough to go, so just been focused on getting back," Woll said on Friday.
During a practice earlier in training camp on Oct. 3, the goaltender cut across to make a save and looked to be in some pain. There were questions about whether the groin tightness came from that, but when Woll was asked about a firm timeline, he declined to get into specifics.
"Truthfully, I don't want to get too much more into it, if that's okay," Woll said. "I'm just focused on getting better now."
Although he didn't want to discuss how and when the injury occurred, Woll confessed that there was frustration after it happened.
"Anytime you get injured, whether a big injury, small injury, I think there is that kind of initial emotion. A little bit of frustration, a little bit of disappointment, and all those things,"
"I think you let that come for a bit and then you focus on what you can control and what you can do, so since then, I've just been focused on doing everything I can possibly do to get back to 100 percent as soon as I can and help this team."
The timeline for Woll to return to game action remains in the air. Usually, when a player returns from an injury, the team wants to give them as much runway as possible before getting into game action.
Even more so with Anthony Stolarz, who's been lights out with a .940 save percentage through the first three games of the season.
When asked on Friday, Maple Leafs head coach Craig Berube didn't give a firm timeline. However, it's safe to assume Woll could suit up for a game at some point next week.
"Sooner than later, I would think. But you take it day by day still," Toronto's head coach said. "I think it's important here after practice just to see where he's at. I haven't talked to him yet, so we'll figure it out."
Woll is in the final year of a three-year deal, earning him $766,667 this season. His next contract, a three-year, $11 million deal, which he signed on July 1, begins next season.
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