Woll making season debut vs. Blues
Toronto Maple Leafs goaltender Joseph Woll is making his first start of the season Thursday against the St. Louis Blues, as head coach Craig Berube confirmed earlier in the day.
"He has been progressing in the right direction for some time now," Berube said, per the Toronto Sun's Terry Koshan. "We kind of had this date picked out, that he would get this start. It was making sure he is ready, comfortable, everybody is on board with him ready to go."
Woll was projected to be Toronto's starter to begin the campaign, but the club placed him on injured reserve hours before the opener. Anthony Stolarz posted a .938 save percentage in five starts, while Dennis Hildeby won his first but got shelled for six goals in his second before being loaned back to the AHL with Woll coming off injured reserve.
Woll dealt with numerous injuries last season. He was shelved for more than a month in the middle of the campaign due to a high ankle sprain, then missed Game 7 of Toronto's opening-round series with a back injury after winning Games 5 and 6.
Despite the missed time, Woll put together a strong campaign with a .907 save percentage across a career-high 23 starts. He posted a .964 clip in his brief postseason showing.
Toronto signed Woll to a three-year extension over the summer worth $3.66 million annually and added Stolarz in free agency.