Maple Leafs GM Brad Treliving Provides Unfortunate Update on the Injured Anthony Stolarz

At the start of the second period in Thursday's game against the Anaheim Ducks, many were surprised when Joseph Woll led the team out of the tunnel and Stolarz, who had started the game, was nowhere to be seen.

Shortly after Woll led the team out for the second frame, the Leafs confirmed that Stolarz suffered a lower-body injury in the first period.

On Sunday, the Leafs placed the 30-year-old Stolarz on injured reserve, making him unavailable until Friday at the earliest.

Following Sunday's game, head coach Craig Berube was asked for an update on Stolarz, but refused to offer any substantial update until more tests were done.

Those tests took place over the past couple of days and revealed some troubling news for the Leafs and Stolarz.

After practice on Tuesday, Brad Treliving announced that an MRI on Stolarz's knee revealed a 'pebble' that will have to be removed. Treliving confirmed that Stolarz would be having the procedure in New York on Thursday and that the recovery time would be a very lengthy 4-to-6 weeks.

Stolarz was quietly and quickly becoming the Leafs' MVP this season as he posted a 9-5-2 record through 17 games, along with a league-leading .927 save percentage.

The news of Stolarz's lengthy timeline for recovery is truly unfortunate, and the Leafs will now have to rely on Joseph Woll and rookie Dennis Hildeby to carry the workload for the foreseeable future.