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ESPN’s Kevin Weekes provided some clarity on the Toronto Maple Leafs future goaltending plans, as he reports that the club is closing in on a three-year contract extension with Joseph Woll. The 25-year-old had flashes of brilliance during the regular season and playoffs, but struggled with injuries.
Woll went 12-11-1, with a 2.94 GAA and .907 save percentage in 25 games, and had taken over as the Leafs starting goalie before suffering a high-ankle sprain in early December. He struggled to regain his pre-injury form after returning in March, but was phenomenal in relief of Ilya Samsonov against Boston before suffering a back injury in the waning seconds of Game 6.
The Missouri native has one more year at $766,667 and would be eligible for arbitration next summer, but this deal would take him until the 2027-28 season and unrestricted free agency. Toronto had been connected to names like Jacob Markstrom, Juuse Saros, and Linus Ullmark, but if the report is accurate, it is likely that GM Brad Treliving opt for a veteran free agent or two on short-term deals to lighten the workload on Woll.
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On Sunday, the Leafs completed the assemblage of their coaching staff with the hiring of former NHLer Marc Savard as an assistant coach. Savard served as an assistant with the Calgary Flames last season before mutually agreeing to part after the year. The 46-year-old was on Leafs coach Craig Berube’s staff in St. Louis before becoming head coach of the Ontario Hockey League’s Windsor Spitfires from 2021 to 2023.
The Leafs indicated that the hiring of Savard completed Berube’s staff for the upcoming season, which consists of associate coach Lane Lambert, assistants Savard and Mike Van Ryn, goaltending coach Curtis Sanford, and video coaches Jordan Bean and Sam Kim.
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