One day before the Toronto Maple Leafs' regular season opener, Maple Leafs GM Brad Treliving provided an update on goaltender Joseph Woll, who has been absent for most of training camp to tend to a personal matter.
Treliving expressed optimism about Woll's status, but offered no timeline.
“We think things are progressing well, but I can't give you a timeframe right now,” just before the club practiced at Ford Performance Centre on Tuesday.
The lack of clarity on Woll’s timeline put the Leafs in a position where they have to carry his entire $3,666,667 salary cap hit. Much of the Maple Leafs’ decisions in the crease have been because of salary cap considerations.
Whatever Woll is dealing with, The Hockey News certainly wishes him well.
Joseph Woll Takes Leave Of Absence From Maple Leafs For Personal Family Matter
<a href="https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/toronto-maple-leafs/maple-leafs-hit-by-more-injuries-at-training-camp-as-nicolas-roy-simon-benoit-join-list-joseph-woll-ill">Toronto Maple Leafs goaltender Joseph Woll</a> is taking a leave of absence from the team to attend to a personal family member, the team announced on Tuesday morning.
The Maple Leafs picked up goaltender Cayden Primeau off waivers on Tuesday. When it came time to submit their rosters by Monday’s 5 p.m. ET deadline, Primeau and Anthony Stolarz were the two goaltenders listed and were the only netminders in net for practice. For now, the Leafs will lean on Stolarz and likely on Primeau for back-to-back games barring anything unforeseen.
The team's decision to claim Primeau led to the release of James Reimer, who had arrived on a professional tryout, hours after Toronto picked up Primeau.
Why The Maple Leafs Claimed Cayden Primeau And Sammy Blais Off Waivers
The <a href="https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/toronto-maple-leafs/latest-news/that-s-still-up-in-the-air-maple-leafs-weigh-options-with-james-reimer-as-dennis-hildeby-shines-at-training-camp">Toronto Maple Leafs</a> have reportedly picked up a couple of players off the waiver wire ahead of their season-opener on Wednesday night.
Treliving acknowledged the difficulty of that decision. “We talked to James. Felt bad for James. He really didn't have a lot of time to get up and go through a camp and get his feet under him," Treliving said. "And we probably felt having someone that's been through a camp [would be a better fit]. We like the background of Cayden. It gives us more depth.”
Additionally, the club reassigned Dennis Hildeby, who had been Toronto’s top performer in the crease, down to the Toronto Marlies despite a pre-season best .920 save percentage in three contests.
'I Got Notice And Liked It Instantly': Why Dennis Hildeby Signed Unique Three-Year Contract With Maple Leafs
Dennis Hildeby is excited for the upcoming season after signing <a href="https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/toronto-maple-leafs/latest-news/maple-leafs-sign-dennis-hildeby-to-3-year-deal-is-he-their-third-goalie-this-season">a rather unique three-year, $2.53 million extension</a> with the Toronto Maple Leafs.
Treliving defended the move, citing the need for organizational depth. “Dennis has had a really good camp. Now, I know we all get excited about opening day rosters," Treliving explained. "This allows us to have depth at the position. It allows us, should the need be, for Dennis to come back and play. It allows him to keep playing. So really, at the end of the day, we felt it gave us depth at the position with Joe absent right now. With a goaltender we like and with Anthony, Cayden, and Dennis (Double-A), we've got some depth here right now.”
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