Maple Leafs’ Joseph Woll takes leave of absence for personal matter, no timeline for return

Toronto Maple Leafs goaltender Joseph Woll is taking a leave of absence from the team to address a personal matter, general manager Brad Treliving announced Tuesday.

Treliving did not comment on the nature of the matter, but noted it wasn’t related to substance abuse.

“Joe Woll will be taking a leave of absence from the team to attend to a personal family issue. It’s a private matter at this point, and we keep to intend it that way for him. There’s no timeline. We obviously support him, 100 percent. I just ask for everyone to respect his privacy,” Treliving said Tuesday morning at the Ford Performance Centre.

The team subsequently released the following statement:

The Toronto Maple Leafs announced today that Joseph Woll has taken a leave of absence to attend to a personal family matter. No additional details will be provided at this time, and we ask that his privacy be respected. 

Treliving did not comment on whether Woll would be ready to return for the season opener against the Montreal Canadiens on October 8.

“You’re always looking at your team. You just have to wait and see. We’re comfortable with the goalies we have. And we’ll see,” Treliving said of the Maple Leafs’ goaltending depth.

Treliving also revealed that Max Domi will not be skating, due to a death in his family. Domi is still recovering from a lower-body injury.

Woll is widely projected to operate as the Maple Leafs’ No. 2 goaltender, with Anthony Stolarz expected to take on the majority of starts, while Artur Akhtyamov and Dennis Hildeby are expected to be waiting, if called upon, with the AHL’s Toronto Marlies. Stolarz will almost certainly start the season opener against the Canadiens.

Woll has been away from the team since September 20 due to an illness. Last season, Woll posted as 27-14-1 record in 42 games, with a .909 save percentage and 2.73 goals against average.