TORONTO — Joseph Woll is set to return to the Maple Leafs’ crease for the first time since May 18.

Woll has spent most of this season away from the team to attend to a personal family matter, returning on Oct. 24 before a two-game conditioning stint with the Marlies. Woll allowed six goals on 52 shots over a game-and-a-half of work.

Woll was activated and added to the Leafs’ roster on Friday. He said his pace and reading of the game have improved after his time with the Marlies. Those were the boxes he was looking to tick.

“Those are both where they need to be. I have a good mindset and I’m ready to go,” Woll said.

If Friday’s practice was any indication, most signs point to him making his season debut on Saturday against the Chicago Blackhawks. Dennis Hildeby has played in the last four games for the Leafs, entering in relief for Anthony Stolarz in the Leafs’ two games against the Boston Bruins. That’s four appearances in six days.

Woll spoke with eagerness about playing near St. Louis, where most of his family still resides and where he spent some of his youth.

“It’s in the Midwest and I’m breathing the same air in a way,” Woll said. “It will be nice to be close to home.”

It’s worth noting, however, that Woll was not the first goalie off the ice during Friday’s practice — often an indicator of who starts. But that could just be an effort to cut down on Hildeby’s workload after a relentless week.

Coach Craig Berube didn’t tip his hand on whether Woll would start Saturday.

“I don’t think I necessarily had a game circled for my return here, but my plan was to play those games for the Marlies and to rejoin the team today,” Woll said. “I’m ready to go when I’m needed.”

He is needed right now, to be sure. The Leafs’ team save percentage currently sits at .882, 26th in the NHL.

The team is also in the middle of one of its worst slides in recent memory.

There’s no playbook on how to handle the return of players from absences from the team, but the worry would be rushing Woll into action too soon.

Anthony Stolarz, who handled the load while Woll was away, is day-to-day with injury. Yet even before Woll returned, Stolarz was showing signs of being overworked.

Goaltending has been one of the gravest areas of concern for this team. So, if there was already going to be a microscope on Woll for his NHL return, that microscope is about to zoom in — big time.

“I’ve realized the importance of consistency,” Woll said. “I’m just going to come out and do my best. Stick to my routine and do the things I know.”

Woll played down the idea that he just went through a mini-training camp with a few weeks of practices and his two games with the Marlies. He’s been called on to step into tense situations before, including in the playoffs in 2023 and 2025 when Ilya Samsonov and Stolarz, respectively, suffered injuries.

“Truthfully, it hasn’t really felt like that. Training camp, I think, there is a certain feeling in the air. Everyone’s stress goes up and everything gets pretty intense pretty quick. This feeling of kind of hopping into the middle of the season, which I’ve actually done more often than not, is comfortable to me.”

‘Extra low right now’

Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reported on Friday that the Leafs held a team meeting on a day off on Monday that was “honest, it was blunt, it was intense, and at times, it was brutal.”

Leafs forward Steven Lorentz shed some light on that meeting.

“There’s highs and lows in every season but it just seems like the lows feel extra low right now,” Lorentz told The Athletic when asked about why the team met on a day off. “So sometimes you just bring the team together. And it’s not always critical. Sometimes it’s just kind of, trying to pick up the other guy in the locker room. Those are good things. You call those meetings and it’s players and coaches only.”

“I don’t think anyone was really upset about (having a meeting),” Lorentz added.

Berube clarified that the meeting was held on a travel day and that it shouldn’t be viewed as out of the ordinary.

Yet it’s still clear that, internally, the Leafs are viewing their current skid as, well, out of the ordinary.

“A lot of times it’s just trying to get the confidence back because a lot of times, it’s self-belief and confidence that goes a long way,” Lorentz said. “We’re trying to believe, find that spirit again. We’re a good hockey team.”

Cowan called up, lines juggled

On Friday, Auston Matthews was placed on injured reserve retroactive to Nov. 11., which confirms he will miss at least the next two games.

With an open roster spot, Easton Cowan was called back up to the Leafs Friday morning.

It was hard not to see noticeable jump from the rookie in his first practice. His shot looked particularly explosive and he moved with pace through every drill. That’s even more crucial considering Cowan has not played since Nov. 8. He was held out of the Marlies’ last game on Nov. 12. After one goal and four points through his first 10 NHL games, Cowan had one assist over his two AHL games.

“I’ve liked (Cowan) this year,” Berube said. “I think he’s given us some really good games up here.”

Cowan skated on the third line during Friday’s practice. He also took reps on the top power play unit after practice. The Leafs’ lines, however, could see a shakeup come puck drop as Matthew Knies and Brandon Carlo both missed practice for maintenance days.

Leafs lines at practice:

Robertson-Tavares-Nylander
Maccelli-Domi-McMann
Blais-Roy-Cowan
Joshua-Lorentz-Jarnkrok
Laughton (Red no contact jersey)

Rielly-Myers
Benoit-McCabe
Mermis-Ekman-Larsson