It’s been a long time since the Toronto Maple Leafs have had goaltender Anthony Stolarz available to them, as he’s not played since the second week of November in a game against the Boston Bruins. Since then, the Maple Leafs have moved forward with the tandem of Joseph Woll, who hasn’t been fully healthy this season, and Dennis Hildeby.
The good news for the Maple Leafs is that Stolarz was a full participant in Toronto’s practice prior to facing the Colorado Avalanche on Monday, and there is a possibility that he could return to game action in the near future. What does that mean for the potential prospects of a trade of one of either Woll or Hildeby?
TSN Hockey Insider and former longtime NHL goaltender Martin Biron joined the ‘Domino’s That’s Hockey’ segment to discuss the potential for a Maple Leafs goaltending trade, and he ultimately listed Hildeby as his preferred trade candidate if he were in charge of running the Maple Leafs while also naming Woll as an “untouchable”.
“Absolutely they should, and they should start looking, because there are other teams with a busy crease that they’ll get in on the action,” he responded when asked if the Leafs need to consider a goaltending trade. “If you’re the Toronto Maple Leafs….look, Dennis Hildeby is an NHL goaltender. He has a .911 save percentage this year, despite giving up all those goals against Utah, but he still has really good numbers.”
“My untouchable is Joseph Woll,” Biron continued. “The contract, the production, I get it – the injuries are a concern for the Leafs with Woll and Stolarz, but I do believe you need to be proactive. This team needs to look ahead and say, ‘How can we get and maximize our return?'”
Biron then concluded by saying he would part ways with Hildeby to maximize the chances of getting a good return.
“For me, it would probably be Hildeby, because he’ll be fetching a really good return when you look at the other teams looking at it,” Biron said. “And you start the season with Stolarz and Woll. Why not continue th season with one of the best tandems of last season, but injuries derailed it.”
“I think if you are going to get a head start on the competition, look to trade Hildeby now, because he’s hot at the moment.”
So far this season, Hildeby has gone 4-6-4 with a 2.97 goals-against average and a .911 save percentage.
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Toronto Maple Leafs Goaltender Anthony Stolarz Hasn’t Played Since November
The presence of Stolarz at practice was a welcome sight for the Maple Leafs, who haven’t had him play in a game since early November against the Boston Bruins.
So far this season, which is his second with the Maple Leafs after signing a free-agent deal from the Florida Panthers, Stolarz has accumulated a record of 6-5-1 with a pedestrian 3.51 goals-against average and a .884 save percentage.
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Craig Berube Had An Encouraging Update On Anthony Stolarz
When asked about the chances of Stolarz coming back to the Maple Leafs’ crease, Berube didn’t have an exact date nailed down but did give an optimistic response.
“I don’t have a date like targeted, but he’s on this trip so he can get time with us and be around us and get practice time with us. So, that’s good,” Berube said. “I think he’s getting pretty close. Just needs the reps, needs the conditioning, that sort of thing.”
Recently, the Maple Leafs re-signed Stolarz to a four-year, $15 million deal with a $3.75 million salary cap hit.
NHL Insider Martin Biron Says Maple Leafs Need To Trade A Goaltender