Berube provided an update on Anthony Stolarz's injury. The goaltender has yet to step on the ice since sustaining an upper-body injury in Boston.
The Toronto Maple Leafs are dealing with a lengthy injury list, and goaltender Anthony Stolarz is among them. Unlike some of the other skaters, however, Stolarz has not been on the ice.
Out with an upper-body injury , it was believed that the goaltender’s injury was minor when he was pulled after the first period of the club’s 5-3 loss against the Boston Bruins on Nov. 11.
“It’s obviously worse than we thought. He's not ready to get on the ice yet and do the things that he needed to do,” Maple Leafs head coach Craig Berube said on Thursday ahead of the team’s matchup against the Columbus Blue Jackets.
How The Maple Leafs Utilized The Goaltender Exception To Rest Anthony Stolarz Against The Sabres
The Maple Leafs used the emergency goaltender exception (Article 16.13) to call up Dennis Hildeby and give Anthony Stolarz a much-needed rest after a heavy workload, allowing the team to temporarily exceed the 23-man roster limit.
“Hopefully it's soon,” Berube continued. “I really don't have a timetable for him. Maybe tomorrow he'll be on the ice. I'm not sure.”
Berube insisted there wasn’t a setback in the initial injury , adding, “We weren't sure at the time what it was, the seriousness of it. So, you know, that's kind of where we're at.”
The injury is significant as Stolarz, who signed a four-year, $15 million contract extension before the season began , was shouldering the workload for the Leafs. Having played in 13 games and posting a 6-5-1 record with an .884 save percentage , he saw heavy minutes while Joseph Woll was away from the club for personal reasons.
Woll has since returned , starting the club’s last two games where he has posted a 1-1-0 record and a .934 save percentage. Woll will get the assignment in net when they host the Blue Jackets on Thursday.
The team's ideal is to have both Stolarz and Woll available in a tandem situation , which just hasn’t happened this season. The Leafs will need to monitor Woll's usage until Stolarz can return.
Woll was one of several players who did not take the ice Wednesday for an optional practice. “He feels good and has got great energy out there,” Berube said of Woll.
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