The Toronto Maple Leafs will finish their schedule without Anthony Stolarz, Brandon Carlo, and Dakota Joshua after head coach Craig Berube confirmed the trio has been sidelined for the remainder of the season.
The Toronto Maple Leafs will be without the services of goaltender Anthony Stolarz, defenseman Brandon Carlo, and forward Dakota Joshua for the remainder of the season. Leafs head coach Craig Berube confirmed this during his pre-game media availability ahead of his team’s game against the Florida Panthers at Scotiabank Arena on Saturday.
Stolarz was injured early in his team’s 4-0 loss to the Washington Capitals on Wednesday. Logging just 2:34 of ice time, Stolarz was in pain and had to be helped off the ice after what seemingly looked like a routine save. With three games remaining in the season, it isn’t any surprise to see players shut down, but the Stolarz injury appeared to be quite severe.
When asked about the severity of Stolarz’s injury, Berube offered no details other than to say it was serious enough to shut him down. Asked if it would compromise the goaltender’s off-season training, Berube said, “It can, for sure,” before adding that none of the three players would require surgery.
Earlier this season, Stolarz missed 33 games due to a nerve issue in his neck. On March 24, he also took a puck to the throat in a warmup ahead of his scheduled start against the Ottawa Senators. Stolarz was released from a local hospital later that night and only missed the one game.
In the same game against Washington on Wednesday, Brandon Carlo sustained a lower-body injury. While it is not clear exactly how it occurred, Carlo has struggled with health recently, having missed 23 games earlier this season due to a foot injury that required corrective surgery.
Additionally, Dakota Joshua was hit along the boards by former Maple Leafs defenseman Rasmus Sandin during Wednesday’s contest. He seemed dazed by the hit and left for the locker room shortly afterward. Like the other two players mentioned, Joshua has had his fair share of injuries and ailments that have kept him out this season, including a lacerated kidney sustained on Dec. 28 against the Detroit Red Wings which cost him 19 games.