Woll departed the club early in training camp due to a personal matter.
Every member of the Toronto Maple Leafs was all smiles when they saw Joseph Woll hit the ice at Ford Performance Centre to join his teammates for practice, his first full session since departing the club just a few days after training camp due to a personal matter.
Perhaps the happiest to see the goaltender back was Anthony Stolarz, who had started in seven of Toronto’s first nine games of the season.
“It was awesome, just seeing his infectious smile and him coming in and just kind of catching up a little bit,” Stolarz said. “Just seeing him back in the net, we were just talking about how we miss our goalie hug. It was awesome to have him back. And it’s good to see him again”.
Last year, Stolarz and Woll were considered among the best goalie tandems in the NHL. So, when Woll does get fully integrated into the lineup, the hope is that dominance in the net will continue.
“He's someone who pushes me and makes me a better goalie. And I try to do the same for him,” Stolarz said of Woll. “We've developed a relationship, not just on the ice, but off the ice as well”.
Woll did not speak to the media on Monday, and it remains unclear why he had to depart or if he will ever disclose what kept him away. But now that he’s back, the Leafs say Woll is the same guy he was before he departed.
“He's just been Joe. You all have spent lots of time around him. He’s an upbeat guy,” Maple Leafs GM Brad Treliving said of Woll. “He's such a caring person, I think it was great for the guys to see him. He's a really popular teammate. He's really close with this group. It was as good for Joe to have the guys as it was for the guys to have Joe back. It's been a good couple of days, and he's eager to get going”.
Maple Leafs defenseman Morgan Rielly echoed Treliving’s sentiments as the club hopes that Woll’s return could spark better play beyond their current 4-4-1 record.
“You want to be there for each other. So this is just a good opportunity for everyone to rally and be there for everyone here. And that's what we want to do,” Rielly said.
Woll played in a career-high 42 games with the Maple Leafs last season, posting a 27-14-1 record with a .90 save percentage. Stolarz was given the assignment in goal to start the club’s 2025 playoff run. However, Woll took over the duties midway through Game 1 of Toronto’s second-round series against the Florida Panthers after Stolarz suffered a concussion. In the playoffs, Woll went 3-4 with an .886 save percentage.
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