The Toronto Maple Leafs suffered a crushing blow Thursday night despite defeating the Carolina Hurricanes. Goaltender Joseph Woll left the game after the second period with a lower-body injury.
However, the injury timeline provided by head coach Craig Berube raised eyebrows among some observers. One former Toronto enforcer publicly questioned the specifics of Woll’s absence. His comments suggest skepticism about whether the team is being completely transparent about the goaltender’s situation.
Jay Rosehill Questions Timeline For Joseph Woll’s Injury
Woll appeared to injure himself making a save in the second period Thursday night. Video footage showed him shaking and stretching his left leg after the play. He remained in the net to finish the period but didn’t return for the third.
The 27-year-old netminder had been exceptional since returning from a personal leave, serving as Toronto’s backbone during a successful road trip. Dennis Hildeby replaced him and stopped all nine shots faced in relief.
The Maple Leafs placed Woll on injured reserve Saturday, retroactive to December 4. TSN’s Chris Johnston reported that head coach Craig Berube provided an update on the expected absence. “He’ll be a week. Hopefully,” Berube told Johnston. “We’re not expecting it to be too long.”
The one-week timeline immediately drew scrutiny from former Maple Leafs forward Jay Rosehill. The enforcer, who played parts of three seasons with Toronto, questioned the injury details publicly.
“What injury takes a week to recover from?” Rosehill posted on social media, expressing skepticism about the timeline. The comment suggests Rosehill finds something suspicious about Woll’s situation.
Lower-body injuries for goaltenders typically involve groin, hip, or leg issues. Most of those injuries require either very short recoveries (days) or extended absences (weeks to months). A precise, one-week timeline seems oddly specific. Woll has battled injuries throughout his career. He missed the first 18 games this season while away on personal leave.
Since returning on November 15, he posted a 4-3-1 record with a .927 save percentage and a 2.30 goals-against average. The Leafs leaned heavily on him with Anthony Stolarz sidelined since November 11.
Toronto now faces a goaltending crisis with both its top netminders unavailable. Stolarz hasn’t skated since his injury and carries no timeline for return. The Maple Leafs recalled Artur Akhtyamov from the AHL Toronto Marlies to serve as Hildeby’s backup.
Whether Rosehill’s skepticism proves warranted remains to be seen. How the goaltending situation develops over the coming week will determine if Berube’s timeline was accurate or if something else is happening behind the scenes.
