The Toronto Maple Leafs have recently experienced a degree of success in the NHL this season, with two consecutive wins. They first won against the Pittsburgh Penguins and then against the Florida Panthers. Having sunk to the very bottom of the Atlantic Division, the Maple Leafs have now risen two spots to sit at the sixth position with 27 points.
However, there is no end to the team’s woes this season. Injuries, in particular, have plagued the Leafs to a great extent, and the team has yet to see the worst of it.
Toronto Maple Leafs’ Injury Struggles Continue With Anthony Stolarz
This season, the Maple Leafs went from being a dark-horse contender to their current form. For the longest time, the team has struggled with maintaining consistent performance throughout the game. The Leafs’ underwhelming performance reportedly put Craig Berube’s tenure in Toronto at risk, with further reports emerging that Brad Treliving could attempt to trade the team out of the slump it had fallen into.
Then there were injuries; several key players, such as captain Auston Matthews, Matthew Knies, and Chris Tanev, among others, had been plagued by injuries this season, severely compromising the team’s performance. Then there is goalie Anthony Stolarz, who has yet to make an appearance on ice for the Maple Leafs since Toronto faced the Boston Bruins on Nov. 11 at TD Garden.
The Bruins emerged victorious 5-3, but the aftermath of the loss carried far-reaching implications for the Maple Leafs in the form of Stolarz’s nagging injury, which remains unresolved to this day. Even worse, there is no saying when the 31-year-old netminder will return.
“No real improvement there,” TSN reporter Mark Masters shared the worrying news on his social media, quoting Maple Leafs HC Berube.
On Nov. 11, Stolarz allowed three goals on 11 shots before making a premature exit with an upper-body injury. Dennis Hildeby stepped in to make 19 saves. Back then, Berube had stated that he believed that Stolarz’s injury was far from severe. However, as days pass without any positive updates on that front, the community is increasingly convinced that Berube may have been gravely mistaken.
Meanwhile, the Maple Leafs’ goaltending has fallen upon Hildeby and Joseph Woll. Stolarz and Woll had a good flow between them last season, and it would have been great to see that continue this season as well. However, with Stolarz’s undesirable injury update, the fan base will have to be a little more patient. Moreover, now is the time for Toronto to address any issues that may be holding the team back from giving its best this season.
