Sudden Injury to Anthony Stolarz May Have Spoiled Maple Leafs' Trade Plans
The Maple Leafs lost goaltender Anthony Stolarz on Thursday to injury, and with Matt Murray already out as well, the Leafs' rumoured trade plans may be halted.
Last night, during their 3-2 victory over the Anaheim Ducks, the Leafs lost Anthony Stolarz to an unspecified lower-body injury at the end of the first period, leading to Joseph Woll having to come in to start in the second.
Unfortunately for the Leafs, Matt Murray was recently forced out of action for the Marlies and is also on the shelf, meaning that the organization is now down two goaltenders.
Prior to Stolarz leaving Thursday's game, the Leafs appeared to be in fine shape in the crease, with Dennis Hildeby and Artur Akhtyamov holding down the fort in the American Hockey League, while Stolarz and Woll carried the weight in the NHL. Now, however, everything has changed.
Recently, Sportsnet's Nick Kypreos had publicly stated that the play of Stolarz and Woll could push another goalie out of Toronto. After last night, however, that looks like less of a probability.
The Leafs are desperately in need of a center, potentially even one that can play in the top-6 and help push the aging John Tavares over to the left wing. They could have used one of their minor league goaltenders as a trade chip in a package to try to accomplish this. Now, it's far less likely.
With the long history of injuries to both Stolarz and Woll, perhaps the Leafs will pivot now, understanding that goaltending depth is important and could end up saving their bacon over the long haul.
While I don't necessarily expect the likes of Murray, Hildeby or Akhtyamov to play a large role for the Leafs this season or in the postseason, just having a couple of extra bodies around for insurance purposes is probably the right decision for a team that has put all of their eggs into two baskets that have really had a tough time with their health in recent years, even if Stolarz and Woll don't have a lot of hard miles on them.
| POLL | ||
DECEMBRE 13 | 1199 ANSWERS Sudden Injury to Anthony Stolarz May Have Spoiled Maple Leafs' Trade Plans Do you think the Leafs will still move a goaltender before the deadline? | ||
| Yes | 408 | 34 % |
| No | 791 | 66 % |
| List of polls | ||
