Leafs announced a pair of AHL call-ups, including goaltender Joseph Woll; did a Leafs goaltender suffer yet another injury?
Following last night's thrilling 5-2 win over the powerhouse Carolina Hurricanes, the Leafs announced on Saturday morning that they've called up winger Bobby McMann and goaltender Joseph Woll from the AHL's Toronto Marlies.
Naturally, the first concern here is what this means for the Leafs' current duo of Matt Murray and Ilya Samsonov. Samsonov was spectacular last night against the Canes and Murray was originally expected to get the start tonight against the Sens. Unfortunately, we may not know what the Woll call-up is all about until later in the day.
It's worth noting that Murray was forced out of his last two scheduled starts against his former team due to injury this season. Another possibility here is that the Leafs want to give Samsonov a full day off after a busy night against the Canes last night, which would mean that Woll would back up Murray tonight in Ottawa.
As for McMann, he's been on an absolute tear with the Marlies this season, scoring 21 goals and 29 points in 30 games. An injury to Noel Acciari last night left a roster spot open and McMann is definitely deserving of the call-up. He's earned it with his tremendous play this season. At this point, it appears as though McMann is a little too good to be playing in the AHL. With a crowded roster, McMann may not necessarily get a lot of playing time with the Leafs down the stretch - especially if Keefe continues to experiment with 11F/7D. However, having him around the team every day is great for his development and when he does get into the lineup, he's certainly a useful piece and will not look out of place.
