Toronto Maple Leafs goaltender Joseph Woll is clearly not on the team’s group chat, nor is he on social media. As he walked into Scotiabank Arena Saturday to find some new names on the board.
Joseph Woll was totally oblivious to the fact that the team had acquired star forward Ryan O’Reilly and Noel Acciari on Friday.
The Toronto Maple Leafs goaltender knew he would likely start in goal against the Montreal Canadiens on Saturday, but when he took a look at the board to see the lineup he was confused.
"It was pretty funny, I was looking at the lineup chart and was like, 'What happened to our lines?'"
The Leafs pulled off a big trade with the St. Louis Blues on Friday night that saw them acquire O'Reilly and Acciari for a collection of draft picks, including the team's first-round selection at the 2023 NHL Draft.
Leafs defenseman Mark Giordano said GM Kyle Dubas sent a text to the team about the news, which got everybody excited.
Clearly, Woll didn't get the message. But to be fair, he isn't a full-time Maple Leafs. He's been called up since Matt Murray went down with an ankle injury and isn't eligible to return to the active roster until Feb. 28 at the earliest.
The 24-year-old Woll has had a breakout year with Leafs' minor-league affiliate, posting a 14-1-0 record with a .931 save percentage. He told 'Inside the Maple Leafs' last month that meditation and staying off social media have helped improve his performance.
Since that time, his only connection to the outside world is a handful of close friends.
Woll made 29 saves in a 5-1 win against the Montreal Canadiens to pick up his first-ever victory at Scotiabank Arena. Hopefully, he'll now be on the team's group chats to avoid any further lineup surprises.