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Now, neither man is up for the task.
When Anthony Stolarz returns is anyone’s guess, and Joseph Woll will need a week, hopefully, to recover from the “lower body” injury he suffered Thursday that led to him being placed on injured reserve.
In the short term, third-stringer Dennis Hildeby gets thrown into the fire, the prospect facing an unrelenting schedule that begins with key divisional matches Saturday versus Montreal and Monday versus Tampa Bay, two rivals ahead of Toronto in the Atlantic race.
Prospect Artur Aktyamov is the next (masked) man up. He’s 24. He’s never played in the show. He has an .896 save percentage on the farm.
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32 Thoughts: The Podcast
Hockey fans already know the name, but this is not the blog. From Sportsnet, 32 Thoughts: The Podcast with NHL Insider Elliotte Friedman and Kyle Bukauskas is a weekly deep dive into the biggest news and interviews from the hockey world.
So… does GM Brad Treliving go goalie hunting, again?
Never having Stolarz and Woll available at the same time this season, the Leafs already brought in and discarded James Reimer and Cayden Primeau.
Yes, some intriguing but flawed trade options are out there.
Be it acquisition cost or cap cost, a bigger swing for a goalie feels far-fetched, especially considering Treliving’s limited assets.
Past behaviour suggests the executive will hold pat and watch the waiver wire like a hawk.
Moreover, are we sure these trade options are better than Hildeby, who has a .919 through seven scattered appearances, all in tough circumstances?
Hildeby can shoulder work; he played 41 games in his rookie AHL season and posted a .913.
Of course, that doesn’t guarantee he’ll go Beast mode in the NHL gauntlet.
But, for the time being at least, Toronto would be wise to at least see what the gentle giant can do.
2. The low point of the Maple Leafs’ season was two Saturdays ago, when they got steamrolled 5-2 at the Bell Centre and hung poor Woll out to dry. An embarrassing showing.
Since then, Toronto embarked on a 4-1 road trip and played its best hockey.
Wild how many Leafs brought up the Canadiens before they’d even peeled off their gear Thursday night in Raleigh.
“We needed this. We needed that energy, and we’re just gonna try to bring that home,” Matthew Knies said. “We’ve got a tendency to be flat at home, but we’re gonna come Saturday and give some payback to these guys in Montreal.”
The Zamboni hadn’t rolled out yet, and they were already eyeing a Hockey Night in Canada revenge match. Yep, the speedy Habs left a mark.
“Seeing the standings and everything going on, we just play the same way and continue to roll,” Scott Laughton said. “We’re at home now for a little bit. We’ve got to be really good and strong, and we’ve got to kind of do what they did to us.
“Continue to play hard for each other.”
The Canadiens might well take advantage of an inexperienced goalie, but they’ll be in for a more confident opponent at Scotiabank Arena.
“What we did on the road, bring it home. Be urgent,” coach Craig Berube said. “Urgency, for me, is everything in that game.”
3. Devastating injury for Tyler Seguin, whose torn ACL likely finishes him for the season.
The Dallas Stars are one of the few legit Cup contenders, and Jim Nill was already going to be a buyer at the trade deadline.
How he treats Seguin’s $9.85 million cap space, which can shift to LTIR, will be fascinating.
Yes, Nill can go shopping in the most expensive aisle of forwards.
But the new CBA, with its playoff salary cap, could throw a wrench into any big purchase.
What if Seguin — desperate to win a second Cup — rehabilitates and is ready for April or May.
No longer can a team go over the cap come postseason the way Chicago did with Patrick Kane and Tampa did with Nikita Kucherov.
Surely, the Stars will add. But our bet is that Nill waits to get more clarity on Seguin’s realistic return date before deciding how big to swing here.
4. Quote of the Week.
“I drive around with my skates in the back of the car.” —An unemployed Peter DeBoer, when asked on Real Kyper & Bourne if he’s ready to coach again
5. We’re not ready to discount the champs and rule out the possibility of a threepeat just yet. The Eastern Conference is too mid and muddled.
But, boy, do the Florida Panthers look every bit like a 27th-place team right now.
“The bigger challenge is when you lose the players underneath,” Maurice says.
So ravaged by injury, the Cats have played games without six or seven of their regular forwards and a couple of important defencemen.
“One of the most impactful injuries for us this year was Dmitry Kulikov. We lost him halfway through Game 2. Because that’s the underpinning that helps you survive losing those one or two great guys. Kills penalty, block shots, plays heavy, right?” says Maurice, highlighting Eetu Luostarinen’s absence too. “It’s the kind of character glue guys.”
“Our margins on our wins and losses over the last three years, especially in the playoffs, are very close. So, you miss those guys,” Maurice says.
“It’s kind of at that risky place for us. This can either be really good, or it could be really bad with what we’re dealing with. The really good part about this is, I’m going to get a bunch of guys that are going to get even more experience in different roles.”
The coach is desperately spinning positive. He thinks of how much centre Anton Lundell can improve unsheltered by Barkov.
“If you could survive it and then fill your roster,” Maurice says, “you would have much better players in a year. That’s what we’re shooting for.”
6. Since beginning November with a six-game point drought, Owen Tippett has piled 12 points over his past 10 games.
His Philadelphia Flyers have gone 7-3 over that stretch, jumping above the playoff line. Only the conference-leading Capitals have been better the past 10.
“Ultimately, we just want to play for each other,” says Tippett, who has been inquired about in trade talks by the Vancouver Canucks.
“Obviously, pretty good start to the year. I still think there’s another level I can get to. But I’ve reflected on years past and taken some strides already this year. Just taking it game by game and trying to build my game.”
The 26-year-old is on pace for his most productive campaign yet (57 points). More importantly, though, he’s on the plus side of the ledger. He finished his previous six seasons as a dash.
“I’ve never been a really point-hungry guy,” he says. “It’s just little habits I’m trying to get in my game — being harder on pucks. That’s something I feel has come a long way in the last couple years, being harder to play against. More consistent.”
We understand why the Canucks inquired.
Tippett is signed through 2031-32 and he’s still on an upward trajectory.
His $6.2-million cap hit should only look better, and this is his final season without trade protection (a 10-team no-trade kicks in for 2026-27).
Tippett credits John Tortorella for instilling a foundation built on work ethic and defensive responsibility in the young Flyers room: “Playing the right way and playing fast and playing hard.”
New coach Rick Tocchet’s expectations are the same.
“Two strong personalities. And, you know, I think it helped us having Torts around. A lot of guys loved him, including myself. And the adjustment has been good so far,” Tippett says.
“Getting better every day, whether that’s on the ice or in (the dressing room) doing film. Hanging on to pucks, making sure we’re comfortable with guys on our back and improving the little details is what he’s pounding home.”
Tippett and the Flyers are both getting better every day.
His play this contract season, which led to a Dallas Stars record goal streak this week, makes him undeniable when it comes to qualifying for his country’s Olympic squad.
Robertson leads all Americans in goals (17), points (36) and shots (114). He leads all U.S. forwards in plus/minus (+15) while skating nearly 20 minutes a night.
Send the guy to Milan.
“His mind’s on making the Olympic team,” says Jason’s brother and biggest fan, Nick. “It’s an opportunity to play the best level of hockey. So, I’m sure he really wants to be on it. And, obviously, he should. And he’s making a case for himself that he should be on the team.”
8. With Sam Reinhart playing his 800th game this week, Maurice drew a comparison to Hall of Famer Ron Francis, whom he coached in Carolina.
“The things that make him great aren’t almost physically based,” Maurice explains. “He’s got an incredible release, a great shot, right? But it is his brain that makes him really unique. So, we’re gonna get a very good player for a very long time.
“What excites me is his ability to impart that knowledge to other players.”
Maurice believes winger Reinhart is “underestimated” and that he’s had a positive impact on centres Anton Lundell and Aleksander Barkov.
“He doesn’t speak on a whole lot on the bench, but he’s right every time he does. He’s a great resource for the coaches, what he sees on the ice, where the team is at,” Maurice says. “He’s not gonna tell you that you look good if you don’t, but he’s gonna point it out when you do. So, it’s a really valuable kind of positive feedback.”
Best of all, he doesn’t cheat the game.
“He was a Selke nominee last year and scored 57 the year before. There’s just not a lot of those guys,” Maurice says.
When it is suggested that Reinhart could be a GM one day, Maurice smiles and points to the salary gap.
“These guys now are moving more into the Mario Lemieux class. They could just own a team,” he cracks. “But Sam could do whatever he wanted to do in the game at whatever level, really.”
Engrave the trophy yesterday.
Has anyone here torn their ACL before? If you have, imagine getting up on your own power, picking up your stick, skating to your bench, stealing a puck, then making a few stickhandles and a quick backhand sauce setup on your way to season-ending surgery.
“That’s the hockey culture,” tweeted fellow beauty T.J. Oshie. “Torn ACL and still made his way to the bench without help. Oh, and he stripped the puck and got an assist on the way. What a warrior. What a sport. Hoping for a full recovery.”
10. Tidy bit of work in Tampa this week, extending 36-year-old Ryan McDonagh for what could be the rest of his career: three more years at a $4.1 million AAV.
“Mac is one of a kind,” coach Jon Cooper said. “If guys like Ryan McDonagh can’t get in the Hall of Fame, I’m not sure why we would have a Hall of Fame.”
McDonagh is still logging 20-plus hard minutes at night, finding ways to tilt the ice while starting a ridiculous 68.5 per cent of his shifts in the D-zone.
The market for established minute-munching UFA defencemen continues to shrink.
We expect Calgary’s Rasmus Andersson to switch sweaters and Washington’s John Carlson not to.
Curious to see if more teams press to extend in-season or if a few of these D-men opt to create a bidding war for themselves.
11. Faceoff beasts John Tavares (61.1 per cent) and Nicolas Roy (54.5) both extolled the virtues of Jordan Staal (57.5) in the dot when rolling through Raleigh.
Playing in his 20th season, the 6-foot-4, 220-pound Staal’s faceoff prowess stems from a blend of experience, strength and smarts. Having a good teacher doesn’t hurt, either.
“I remember going up against Rod Brind’Amour for a long time, a tremendous faceoff guy that certainly has had a good influence on him,” Tavares says of a Hurricanes coach who won 59.4 per cent of his draws as a player.
“You add that with the physical attributes and his hockey IQ and all sorts of things, it’s always a tough test. Got to be at your best and your sharpest when it’s a guy like Staal in the dot.”
The similarly sized Roy was drafted by the Hurricanes in 2015 and took early faceoff tips from Staal.
“Being two big guys, that bottom hand has got to be strong. And he’s really tough to win those battles,” Roy says. “Really strong on the dots.”
12. Gotta say, I’m enjoying Matthew and Brady Tkachuk’s Wingmen podcast more than anticipated. The brothers are relaxed, enthusiastic, and — best of all — dishing some fun behind-the-scenes stories.
On this week’s episode, Brady details a prank he pulled on Claude Giroux. He cut three of his teammate’s sticks halfway up the shaft at practice one day, just enough to weaken the weapon. Then instantly forgot he’d done so.
Skip to game time, and Giroux’s stick snaps on the power-play. He rushes to the Senators’ bench for a replacement, and the next one snaps too. He’s losing his mind and accuses an opponent of sabotage.
Brady finally clues in that he’s guilty one and instructs the trainer to ditch the third stick. Suffice it to say, the captain is lucky Ottawa ended up winning that game.
Oh, and Brady’s drug-test tale is straight out of a Farrelly Brothers comedy…