Whether Joseph Woll has been healthy or not, it seems as though goaltending has been a storyline on any given day with the Toronto Maple Leafs.
The Maple Leafs would like Woll back in the lineup sooner rather than later, but the touch-and-go nature of a high-ankle sprain had led the club to take a cautious approach.
And Woll is ok with that.
"Right now it's just getting back up to speed with playing after two months off," Woll said, speaking for the first time since sustaining a high-ankle injury on Dec. 7.
Woll has been on the ice for a few weeks now, but this week he joined the club for full practice sessions, another step in his recovery.
So when will he be back?
"In terms of participating in games, he's getting to the point where we can have those discussions and start to map it out a little bit," Maple Leafs head coach Sheldon Keefe said of Woll following the team's practice session on Wednesday.
And not a moment too soon.
Woll's injury came at a time when Ilya Samsonov struggled mightily in net this season. Although the Russian has still bounced back, Toronto's third option in goal, Martin Jones, suffered an undisclosed setback during practice earlier this week and is day-to-day. That promoted the Leafs to call up prospect goaltender Dennis Hildeby, who will back up Samsonov when the Leafs host the Philadelphia Flyers on Thursday.
Woll is 8-5-1 this season with a .916 save percentage and is under contract through the 2024-25 season. The 25-year-old has been considered the team's goalie of the future but this season he was showing himself to be the goaltender of now.
But he has to find a way to stay healthy.
The goaltender has dealt with various injuries including a shoulder and ankle injury that interrupted large chunks of two seasons with the Toronto Marlies.
This injury is new and one where Woll has to watch with each step.
"Ankle (injury) for a goalie is not an exciting one," Woll said. "Anything that puts you back in a position that bothers it is difficult, but it’s a process and I’ve been making good strides."
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