Toronto Maple Leafs goaltender Joseph Woll has been out of action since suffering an ankle sprain in the third period of a game in early December against the Ottawa Senators. Over the past couple of weeks, Woll has returned to the ice, working with goaltending coach Curtis Sanford and increasing his movement and workload cautiously.
Ahead of the Leafs' bye week, head coach Sheldon Keefe provided an update on Woll saying that the hope was for him to return to practice after the All-Star break, but gave no definitive timeline for his return to game action. On TSN1050's First Up this morning, TSN's Chris Johnston provided an updated timeline for when Leaf fans can expect Woll back between the pipes, and it is unfortunately not good news.
Johnston noted that Woll will likely return to practice next week as Keefe said, but also stated that Woll is not expected to return to game action before the end of February. When the diagnosis of Woll's injury was revealed, many pointed to the six-week timeline that Timothy Liljegren used in his recovery from the same injury earlier in the season. However, given the movement of a goaltender and the reliance on strength in their ankles it is not surprising that the Leafs are being very cautious with Woll.
While it is unfortunate news about his return date, it also means that the Leafs are confident in Ilya Samsonov's play since his return and do not feel the need to rush Woll back into action. Woll has struggled with injury throughout his young career, so the longer he can take to rehab his ankle the better for him and the Leafs - so long as Samsonov continues to play well.
