Leafs Not Playing Joseph Woll Following Maintenance Day; Are They Hiding Something?
The Maple Leafs gave Joseph Woll what they called a "maintenance day" on Tuesday, but have now curiously opted to start rookie Dennis Hildeby against Columbus, leading some to suspect that something may be up with Woll.
After starting the last 4 consecutive games and winning 3 of them along the way, Joseph Woll was kept away from the rink on Tuesday, following a 27-save win against the Tampa Bay Lightning on Monday.
Originally, there was some concern over a potential injury for Woll, and given his injury history, fans' concern was justified. However, following practice on Tuesday, the public was essentially told not to panic.
Leafs head coach Craig Berube revealed after practice that Woll was given a maintenance day by the team after playing so much hockey in recent weeks.
Furthermore, Berube informed the Toronto media that Woll is the type of goaltender who goes all-out in practice, implying that he was given a day off to avoid hurting himself amid such a busy schedule.
The Leafs were back on the ice on Wednesday morning, ahead of tonight's meeting with the Columbus Blue Jackets.
Woll was one of the participants in today's session. However, after originally being projected as the starter, Woll is now being projected to back up rookie netminder Dennis Hildeby, who left the ice first this morning, which is the typical routine of the starting goaltender.
Are the Leafs hiding something when it comes to the health of Joseph Woll? It's certainly possible.
If Woll had experienced a minor tweak, something that shouldn't raise any alarm bells and something that will resolve itself within the next couple of days, then yes, it makes sense to give Hildeby the nod tonight to free up Woll for the next game.
With Anthony Stolarz still working his way back from knee surgery in December, the team has had to lean on Woll more than perhaps they would have liked to by the midway point of the season.
There is also the possibility that the Leafs' coaching staff came together and just decided to start Hildeby to give Joseph Woll a bit of a breather, as exhaustion could be one of the reasons why the 26-year-old has allowed 3 goals or more in his last 5 starts.
Hildeby last played on January 11th in a 3-0 loss to the Vancouver Canucks. Prior to that, he backstopped the Leafs to a 3-2 win over the Philadelphia Flyers.
Heading into tonight's game, Hildeby owns a 3-2-0 record across 5 starts with the Maple Leafs, with a 3.18 GAA and a .891 SV%.
