Goalie Woll will stay with the Maple Leafs for three years, according to Weekes
With Martin Jones, Ilya Samsonov, and Woll all having stints as the starting goalie, the Leafs were worried about their goaltending in the previous campaign. In the postseason, Woll was outstanding, finishing 2-0-0 with a 0.86 GAA,.964 SV%, and 4.3 GSAx. But he missed much of their Round 1 series against the Boston Bruins due to injury.
It’s unclear who will back Woll in the goaltender duo with Samsonov and Jones, who are also expected to become free agents. Dennis Hildeby, a 22-year-old player for the Toronto Marlies, might be promoted by Toronto by looking inside. Hildeby had a 2.41 GAA and a.913 SV% in his 21-11-7 campaign.
The Leafs’ options in the trade market have diminished since Darcy Kuemper and Jacob Markstrom are no longer available, but free agency remains a viable possibility. As better alternatives, they may try to sign Anthony Stolarz or Laurent Brossoit, or they might aim to add a more reliable player like Casey DeSmith, Pheonix Copley, or Kevin Lankinen.
Expect the Leafs to be in the news for the next two weeks, with the NHL Draft taking place this week and free agency starting the following weekend. They will probably make major adjustments, most likely to their goaltender pair, following a poor season finale.
