Maple Leaf goaltender Joseph Woll took to the ice on Tuesday, marking a step in his recovery from an ankle injury, while fellow netminder Ilya Samsonov is finally skating with Toronto’s AHL team.
Woll has been out since going down on Dec. 8 in Ottawa, forcing him to leave a game in the third period where he’d made 29 of 31 saves.
“No timeline,” said head coach Sheldon Keefe after practice. “This is Day 2 for him; he skated yesterday as well. So it’s great to see him back out there, for sure, but he’s a ways away.”
The 25-year-old had emerged as the Maple Leafs’ most reliable netminder this season, prior to his injury, posting an 8-5-1 record, 2.82 GAA and .915 save percentage in 14 games.
The man expected to be the Leafs’ top netminder this season (Samsonov) was waived by the team on Dec. 31 after struggling to a 3.94 GAA and .862 save percentage in 15 games. Keefe said Samsonov was “on the ice at the Marlies practice right now … which is sort of a step for him,” as he had been skating on his own.
Keefe said it would be up to general manager Brad Treliving if the Russian played any games for the American Hockey League squad.
Sending Samsonov down prompted the team to call up Swedish rookie Dennis Hildeby to back up third-stringer Martin Jones while they were on the West Coast.
The veteran Jones has posted a 7-3 record, 2.08 GAA and .932 save percentage in 11 appearances for Toronto. On Monday, the 33-year-old was named one of the NHL’s three stars of last week, after the Leafs completed a three-game sweep of the California teams, where Jones allowed just two goals and picked up a shutout against the Kings.
“He’s handling it great,” Keefe said of Jones, who is expected to start again Tuesday night against the Sharks. “Certainly handled it great on the road trip.”
The coach also reported sickness making its way through the team, which could be good news for winger Nick Robertson. The 22-year-old was a healthy scratch twice during the recent road trip, but Keefe said he could play against San Jose if others are too ill.