Analyst shares where his concerns lie with the new Leafs goaltending duo
Photo credit: USA TODAY Sports
TSN analyst Martin Biron has shared his thoughts on the Leafs' goaltending situation and how the duo of Anthony Stolarz and Joseph Woll compares to last season.
At his end-of-season media availability, Toronto Maple Leafs GM Brad Treliving gave Woll a vote of confidence, which all but signaled the end of Ilya Samsonov's time as a Leaf. That was confirmed when the Leafs announced that they had signed Stolarz to a two-year deal when free agency opened on July 1st.
Neither Woll or Stolarz has played more than 30 games in a season, so it will be a test for both heading into next year, but Martin Biron believes the Leafs are in a better position goaltending-wise than they were last year.
"I was never a big Ilya Samsonov guy and last year they had three goalies and it was kind of a 'lets piece it together'," said Biron on TSN's OverDrive. "Anthony Stolarz did really really well this year in Florida. He was the best goaltender when you look at the advanced numbers, goals saved above expectation per game, but he wasn't a number one [goalie], but when he played, he played like an elite number one. Can he play 35 to 40 games this year? Absolutely, but that means you have Joseph Woll playing 40 to 45 games. So, I think that's where the question mark is - it's where is Joe Woll going to be, but I am way more confident in the Leafs goaltending this year than I was entering last year with what they had in the crease."
Many Leafs fans would agree with Biron. Samsonov had a wildly up-and-down season and had it not been for injuries, Woll would have certainly kept the number one job. As long as Woll can stay healthy, and Stolarz is more consistent than Samsonov was, the Leafs should have much more confidence in the crease.
If needed, the Leafs also have a healthy Matt Murray that is looking to prove himself after rehabbing a double-hip surgery last season. With the lack of heavy workload previously for Stolarz and Woll, how Craig Berube divides up starts will be something to keep an eye on. Will he roll the hot goalie? Will he alternate as much as possible to keep them fresh? We won't have answers to those questions for another couple of months at least.
Source: Hockey Reference
Anthony Stolarz Stats
Anthony Stolarz Stats
| POLL | ||
JUILLET 31 | 1427 ANSWERS Analyst shares where his concerns lie with the new Leafs goaltending duo Who will start more games for the Maple Leafs in 2024-25? | ||
| Woll | 1045 | 73.2 % |
| Stolarz | 328 | 23 % |
| Murray | 54 | 3.8 % |
| List of polls | ||
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