Joseph Woll could be close to returning to NHL action.
The 25-year-old stopped 36 of 37 shots in a whirlwind game on Friday night in Laval. He made plenty of saves and dealt with a ton of physicality as players bumped into him throughout the evening.
During Sportsnet's Saturday Headlines in the second intermission of the Maple Leafs and Colorado Avalanche game, Elliotte Friedman reported that Woll was "close" to returning to the NHL following a strong game in the AHL.
"[The Marlies] didn't play him today," Friedman said, "but he's very close, and we'll see what Toronto does in goal. They've got a couple of days to figure this out. Do they go with three? Do they go with two? But Woll is close."
Ahead of Toronto's game on Saturday against the Avalanche, Maple Leafs head coach Sheldon Keefe was asked how encouraged he is with how Woll played in Laval the night prior.
"It looks like he had a great day yesterday," Keefe said. "I haven't spent a lot of time digesting it here today. I'm just more focused on what's here. But, it sounds like he's had a really good week, and a good showing yesterday.
"In terms of the plan from here, that'll be up to Tre (Leafs GM Brad Treliving) to sort that out as we return home. But nothing imminent in terms of the discussions I've had today."
Woll hasn't appeared in an NHL game since Dec. 7, when he sustained a high-ankle sprain during the third period of a game against the Ottawa Senators. He returned to full practice with the Maple Leafs on Feb. 13 before joining the Marlies on a conditioning loan on Wednesday.
"It felt great," Woll told Marlies play-by-play commentator Todd Crocker after handing Laval a loss on Friday night.
"It's been a couple months and I've been really itching to get back in a game and it was awesome. It was great to get the win with the team here and did my best to help out the Marlies today, and I thought the guys played great in front of me, and they were protecting the paint all night, so it was good."
Woll played 15 NHL games this season — before suffering a high-ankle sprain — winning eight games and having a .916 save percentage. He signed a three-year, $2.3 million deal in Feb. 2022, and has one more year remaining with a cap hit of $766,667.
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