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Toronto Maple Leafs goalie Anthony Stolarz (Marc DesRosiers-Imagn Images)

NHL Rumours: Stolarz Mystery Continues, Montembeault Recalled & More

Originally posted on The Hockey Writers
By Jacob Billington | Last updated Dec 27, 2025 1:25 PM ET

In today’s NHL rumour rundown, we start off by looking at the Toronto Maple Leafs and the mystery behind Anthony Stolarz’s absence. Then, we head to the Montreal Canadiens and their recent goalie transactions. Finally, we end with the St. Louis Blues and the future of the relationship between the club and Jordan Kyrou.

Stolarz Still Absent, No Update on Timeline

During a Nov. 11 game against the Boston Bruins, Stolarz would be replaced after the first period, and it was later announced that he had suffered an injury. After the game, Craig Berube stated that it wasn’t serious and that he could be back in the crease for a game against the Los Angeles Kings just days later.

Now, nearly 50 days after the injury, Berube took to the podium, and when asked if there were any updates, Berube stated, “Not really. Indefinite as of right now.”

The only other updates that have been given about Stolarz’s injury are that it is not concussion-related, he has, or is, seeing a specialist, and on Dec. 16, Berube stated that he isn’t progressing as well as they hoped.

After signing a three-year extension, the Maple Leafs are, of course, going to want to do things right when tending to the goaltender’s injury, but the lack of clarity or transparency is concerning, especially to many Maple Leafs fans.

Montembeault Recalled from Conditioning Stint

After some significant struggles to start the season, Sam Montembeault was sent to the Laval Rocket for a conditioning stint, and as expected, was returned to the Canadiens ahead of the Dec. 28 game against the Tampa Bay Lightning.

In two games with the Rocket, Montembeault had one strong and one forgettable performance. Some believe the main goal for Montembeault was to get extra practices in and work with their goaltending coach, Marco Marciano. The Canadiens are currently running with Jakob Dobes and Jacob Fowler, who have been getting the job done.

The hope for the club is that Montembeault can come back up after a fresh perspective and get things turned around. He played very well last season and was in the conversation for a spot with Team Canada for the Olympics, but he has fallen far out of favour now.

Kyrou Activated, Trade Freeze Lifts

One team that everyone has their eyes on is the Blues, and Kyrou has been a name garnering more and more attention each season.

Last week, Chris Johnston listed the Ottawa Senators, Vancouver Canucks, and New Jersey Devils as potential candidates to take the big swing. (from Which big-name Blues could be traded after team declares ‘no untouchables’ — and for what return?, The Athletic, Dec. 19, 2025).

The Blues are back in action after the holiday break as they face off against the Nashville Predators, and the team announced that Kyrou was activated from the injury reserve.

While the activation of the player certainly doesn’t mean a trade is imminent, the three teams mentioned above have also been labelled aggressive, hungry, or ready for a big deal. With the Olympics taking the month of February from the season, and there only being a short window of time between Milan and the trade deadline, teams will be very active over the next five/six weeks leading up to the Olympics, and Kyrou could be a big name on the move.