Craig Berube Admits to Taking Cautious Approach With Anthony Stolarz
The Maple Leafs were given exciting news regarding the return of Anthony Stolarz, however Craig Berube admits he's still not sure on his exact timetable for return.
Earlier today, Toronto Maple Leafs goaltender Anthony Stolarz took part in his first practice with the club since the 12th of December, which was a very good sign for his impending return from a knee injury.
TSN's Darren Dreger then backed it up by announcing that Stolarz was about 5-7 days away from making his return, which lined up with the initial reports that came out after he underwent his procedure.
However, head coach Craig Berube wanted to pump the brakes just a little bit despite the exciting news regarding their goaltender. While he is very close to making his return, Berube wants to exercise caution and make sure he's 100% fit before ultimately making his return.
Before his injury, Stolarz was having a fantastic season after signing a 2-year deal as he held a 9-5-2 record in 17 games, a 2.15 GAA, and a league leading .927 SV% before sustaining the injury mid-game against the Anaheim Ducks.
It's safe to say the Maple Leafs missed the hulking netminder as they were 18-9-2 before the injury versus 12-8-0 after the fact. On top of that, the goaltending department took a massive hit as the team save percentage went from 91.2% to 88.2% since.
Based on Dreger's initial report, Stolarz could get some work in before the 4-Nations Face-Off shuts down the league between the 12th and 20th of February.
Expect Stolarz to make his return somewhere during the Leafs' upcoming road trip, but as Berube mentions, caution is the name of the game and they won't rush him back just yet if they feel he's not ready.
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