Anthony Stolarz’s injury will put Leafs’ vaunted goaltending depth to the test

Matt Larkin
Matt Larkin(MLarkinHockey)
Toronto Maple Leafs goaltender Anthony Stolarz
Credit: Dec 6, 2024; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Toronto Maple Leafs goaltender Anthony Stolarz (41) takes pucks during the warmup before a game against the Washington Capitals at Scotiabank Arena. Mandatory Credit: Nick Turchiaro-Imagn Images

The line from Richard Harris’ Marcus Aurelius in Gladiator resonates 24 years later.

“There was once a dream that was Rome. You could only whisper it. Anything more than a whisper, and it would vanish.”

Quality goaltending in the NHL feels a lot like that. Unless you’re employing Connor Hellebucyk or Igor Shesterkin, it’s virtually impossible to get consistently excellent puck-stopping every year, even if you have an All-Star-caliber netminder. Just ask Jeremy Swayman this season.

And just when the Toronto Maple Leafs and their fan base dared whisper the notion they had established truly elite goaltending…poof, half of it may have vanished before their eyes Thursday night at Scotiabank Arena.

Anthony Stolarz, having stolen a win over the New Jersey Devils Tuesday, got a rare consecutive start vs. the Anaheim Ducks, breaking the softly established rotation between him and Joseph Woll. It constituted a deserving reward for a netminder leading the NHL in save percentage (.928) and sitting seventh in goals saved above expected per 60 heading into Thursday’s action.

But after a steady first period in which he turned aside seven of eight Anaheim shots, including a Mason McTavish breakaway, Stolarz disappeared. He didn’t come out to start the second period, with Woll replacing him. Minutes later, the Leafs announced Stolarz was out with a lower-body injury and would not return. Michael Nishi, a 31-year-old former University of Toronto goaltender, was confirmed as the emergency backup goalie (EBUG) on site.

As Woll explained after the game, Stolarz tipped him off that he was hurt and signalled Woll to get ready to come in for the second. As coach Craig Berube added, the doctors checked out Stolarz during the first intermission and didn’t clear him to continue. It’s not confirmed which play caused the injury, but an educated guess would suggest it happened or at least got aggravated on Frank Vatrano’s first-period goal. If you watch the replay here, Stolarz appears to grab at his right leg for a moment.

The immediate fear when hearing anything connecting the words “lower body” and “Anthony Stolarz” would be a knee injury. Stolarz has battled back from surgeries on both knees in his career, including two to repair a torn meniscus in his left knee. He appeared to favor some part of his right leg on the Vatrano goal.

Before the game was up, Daily Faceoff’s Frank Seravalli reported on NHL on Prime that Stolarz’s injury is “not believed to be incredibly significant.”

As for the update post-game from coach Craig Berube: Not much.

“We’ll know more tomorrow, he said. “Lower-body right now.”

The good news: the Leafs are better equipped than they’ve been in a while to weather this storm. Woll slid in, stopped 19 of 20 Ducks shots and helped the Leafs hold on for a 3-2 victory.

“That’s definitely not an easy position to be in,” said Leafs left winger Max Pacioretty. “I’ve never experienced it, obviously, but [goalies] always always talk about how that’s a tough situation, and he came in and played fantastic.”

Woll has been almost as stellar as Stolarz this season, sitting right behind him at eighth in the league (min. 10 GP) in goals saved above expected per 60 entering Thursday’s games. Woll has carried over the momentum he built with an unbelievable yet brief showing during the Stanley Cup playoffs against the Boston Bruins last spring. Of course, we know how that run ended for Woll: a Game 7 DNP nursing a back injury. He also missed three months with a high-ankle sprain last season and started this season on injured reserve as he healed from a groin injury. He’s one of the most purely talented young goalies in the league, blending size, athleticism and breezy confidence, but he’s one of the most brittle goalies in the league, too. There’s suddenly quite a bit of pressure on him to avoid getting hurt. But he didn’t let it get to him Thursday.

“Yeah, it’s kind of mixed emotions,” Woll said. “Obviously, sad for him, I don’t want him to get hurt and whatnot. And then at the same time, I’ve got a job to do, and I’ve got to continue that on. I hope he’s all right and hopefully it’s not too bad.”

Behind Woll, the Leafs do have quality depth in the AHL, though even that has been weakened recently. Dennis Hildeby, their best netminding prospect, has shown potential in spurts. Artur Akhtyamov has been a revelation and has yet to lose a game in nine appearances. But Matt Murray, their most seasoned callup option, sustained an undisclosed injury last week and has an unclear recovery timeline. That means two of Toronto’s top five puck-stopping options are on the shelf.

So while it’s not like Stolarz’s injury crumbles the house of cards immediately, it’s cause for some nervous swallowing. The Leafs have the best goaltending in the Eastern Conference to this point, sitting third overall in save percentage entering Thursday’s games. It’s been more important than ever given they are scoring quite a bit less this season; they’ve never finished lower than ninth in goals during Auston Matthews/Mitch Marner era, but they rank in the league’s bottom third this season. They’re an improved defensive club this season too, of course, but they’re relying on their puck-stoppers more than they’re used to, largely because depth scoring has been a problem in light of all the injuries their forward corps has endured.

It appears the Leafs avoided a true catastrophe, based on the early reporting of the injury. But Stolarz does seem primed to miss some starts, and the Leafs haven’t been the most reliable on confirming injury timeliness. Matthews, remember, was flying to Germany for injury treatment in November when he was “day to day.”

Not only are the Leafs one leg into a stretch of three games in four nights, but they play back-to-backs Saturday and Sunday and again next Friday and Saturday. Given Woll’s own injury history, he’s going to need some support to start some of those games lest the Leafs burn him out, and it doesn’t appear likely that will come from Stolarz.

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