When the Leafs departed for their recent 4-game road trip, there were a lot of questions over whether Joseph Woll would accompany them on the trip and start at some point over those 4 games. In the end, the Leafs opted, instead, to leave Woll back in Toronto and assign him to the Toronto Marlies on a conditioning loan.
On Friday, Woll got the nod for the Marlies to test out his ankle and battled his way to a 4-1 win over the Laval Rocket, who tested him often in the affair, firing 37 shots his way. Woll stopped 36 of those shots en route to the win.
With the Leafs having gone 4-0 on their road trip and now having won 7 straight games, the sky seems like the limit for this team and on Monday, they received even more good news with Woll being recalled from his conditioning loan.
What does this mean? Well, it doesn't necessarily guarantee him the start on Tuesday against Vegas, but it's a pretty good indicator that he could be in line for his first start with the Leafs since the beginning of December.
Woll has played some solid hockey for the Leafs this season prior to going down with his high-ankle sprain. Owner of a .916 SV% in his first full season, Woll has stolen the Leafs a few games already this season and if he is fully healthy and on his game, he could absolutely be a game-changer for this team, who is already performing at a very high level.
