Goalie Joseph Woll and the Toronto Maple Leafs are nearing a three-year contract extension, according to NHL insider Kevin Weekes.
Woll’s contract, which pays him $766,667 for the 2024–25 NHL season, has one year left on it. Weekes reported that the Maple Leafs are getting close to a three-year contract for Woll, who is expected to be Toronto’s starting goalie the following season and is entering his final year of contract.
The @MapleLeafs are reportedly nearing a three-year contract extension for G Woll that would start on July 1st and pay between $3.5M and $4M AAV. Infinite Leafs #HockeyX Weekes stated, “I’m told the MapleLeafs are closing in on a three-year contract extension for G Woll, which is set to begin on July 1st, for somewhere between $3.5M and $4M AAV.”
Weekes points out that until the league year begins on July 1st, the contract cannot be signed or made official.
Woll finished 12-11-1 with a 2.94 goals against average and a.907 save percentage in his final season with the Maple Leafs. Before getting hurt, Woll was 2-0 with a 0.86 GAA and a.964 SV% in the postseason.
Woll’s Past Injuries Raid the Maple Leafs Concerns
After being chosen 62nd overall in the 2016 NHL draft, Joseph Woll joined the Maple Leafs.
Woll began his professional career in the AHL during the 2019–20 season, but injuries have been an issue ever since. 32 games is his career high, which he achieved during his AHL rookie season. His career total of games played in the NHL is 28, which he reached during the final season, which included the three playoff games.
But Woll’s injury at the conclusion of Game 6 prevented him from playing in Game 7, which Toronto lost to the Boston Bruins in overtime.
Woll’s injury history is a concern, according to Maple Leafs general manager Brad Treliving during the team’s year-end press conference.
“I have confidence in Joe to be our goalie. There are questions now, just like everyone else’s. Joe’s frequent injuries raise the most concerns. We need to investigate that. That does occur from time to time, as does misfortune. Do we have any training-related issues to address? Should we make any adjustments to his off-ice regimen? We need to investigate all of those issues, Treliving stated on May 10.
Treliving stated that despite Woll’s past injury history, he and the organization still have faith in him for the future.
“As a goalie, I think Joe can succeed. Joe needs our support. We definitely need to try to position ourselves so that we don’t have the second-best goaltender in each of these series, but Ilya’s contract is up,” Treliving stated.
Maple Leafs Connected to Numerous Goalkeepers
Toronto is expected to add another goalie this offseason to pair with the American as they work toward an extension with Woll.
Ilya Samsonov is anticipated to be allowed to leave the Maple Leafs via free agency. As a result, Toronto has been linked to pending free agents Laurent Brossoit of the Winnipeg Jets and Antony Stolarz of the Florida Panthers.
With the Jets last season, Brossoit went 15-5 with a 2.00 GAA and a.927 SV%. On July 1, 2023, he completed the $1.75 million, one-year contract he had signed with Winnipeg.
With Florida this season, Stolarz went 16-7-2 with a 2.03 GAA and a.925 SV%. He just signed a $1.1 million, one-year contract with the Panthers.
On July 1, NHL free agency is scheduled to start.
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