After two and a half months of recovery, Toronto Maple Leafs goaltender Joseph Woll returned to game action over the weekend for the Toronto Marlies on a conditioning stint. Woll backstopped the Marlies to a victory over the Laval Rocket and was recalled by the Leafs earlier today ahead of practice.
His recall means that he is likely ready to return to action for the Leafs at some point this week, but it also puts the Leafs in precarious position. With many teams looking for goaltending depth, placing Martin Jones on waivers right now would mean that if an injury happened to Ilya Samsonov or Woll again, the Leafs would have to turn to the likes of Dennis Hildeby or another young goaltender. The other option for the Leafs to carry three goaltenders.
With many teams looking for goaltending depth, placing Jones on waivers would be a massive risk for the Leafs, which is what Marek pointed out before agreeing with Friedman that the Leafs should carry three goalies - at least for the short-term. Leaf fans and media will be keeping a close eye on the Leafs' transactions today and tomorrow ahead of their rematch with the Vegas Golden Knights to see how they plan to manage the situation. It wouldn't be shocking to see the Leafs carry 3 goalies, though, as Friedman and Marek seem to have concluded.
