Anthony Stolarz left the Toronto Maple Leafs game against the Boston Bruins on November 11th after just 20 minutes of action. Following the game, the team provided multiple updates suggesting the injury was “short-term” and they didn’t expect the goaltender to miss significant time. Fast forward nearly three weeks, and Anthony Stolarz is nowhere to be found.
A Minor Issue Snowballs
Since sustaining the injury, Stolarz hasn’t practiced with the team or been spotted on the ice. The netminder didn’t travel on the most recent road trip, reportedly remaining at home in Toronto with the team’s medical staff. It is very difficult to believe that something initially considered so minor could snowball into this sort of situation.
Berube’s Admission and the Spotlight on Woll
Last week, however, Craig Berube revealed that the injury was worse than initially diagnosed. This revelation created a ton of question marks surrounding the goalie. The news also threw Joseph Woll into an immediate spotlight fresh off his return from personal leave.
Berube says the Stolarz injury is “worse than we thought” and that he hasn’t been back on the ice yet since being out. @sdpnsports
— Jesse Blake (@JesseBlake) November 20, 2025
A Pattern of Secrecy
This season more than ever, the Leafs have been incredibly protective of all their injury news. From Auston Matthews to Matthew Knies and everyone in-between, the organization has provided as minimal updates as possible. This morning on TSN First Up, Dreger provided the following update:
“When I asked on the weekend, I got no timeline.”
While “no timeline” doesn’t necessarily mean the injury is long-term, given Stolarz’s injury history, it’s certainly not a promising update. It always seems as though anytime Stolarz finds a rhythm, he has his season disrupted by health issues. Since the injury, third-string goaltender Dennis Hildeby has been recalled from the Toronto Marlies and has played very well in relief.
The Contract Reality Check
With the Leafs continuing to struggle on the ice, there have been suggestions of looking at trading Stolarz. However, after signing a four-year contract extension before the season, the Leafs amended Stolarz’s contract to include a 16-team no-trade list. This gives the goaltender more control than the team would likely want at this time. Not to mention, how many teams would be willing to bet big on an injury-prone goalie with 4.5 years of control left on his deal?
So, What Options Do the Leafs Really Have?
Right now, as difficult as it may seem, the team has no choice but to hurry up and wait. With so many injuries hampering the roster, there is no real understanding of what this group actually is. The only thing worse than doing nothing at all would be doing something for the sake of it and making things significantly worse.
So now, the team has no choice but to hope they find health in a time frame that allows them to make a push for the playoffs, or realize sooner rather than later that they are bound for the bottom of the standings and make moves accordingly.