Anthony Stolarz made his return to the ice for Maple Leafs practice on Friday and now NHL Insider Darren Dreger has an idea of when fans can see him back.
"It seems that Stolarz is probably five-to-seven days away. So inside a week, I would say, away from the expected return.
That pretty much aligns with what they suggested when he first went down and had the procedure.
So that's probably best case-scenario, five-to-seven days."
That's massive news for Toronto not only because they get their goaltender back soon, but with the schedule lightening up, it's a positive sign that Stolarz can come back at his own pace.
Originally injured on Dec. 12, the Maple Leafs goaltender underwent a procedure to remove an obstruction in his knee, and has been rehabbing ever since.
He's made sporadic appearances but Friday was his first real practice.
Since signing a two-year, $5M deal this summer, Stolarz has been lights out. Owning a 9-5-2 record along with a 2.15 GAA and .927 SV%, he's not only been a part of one of the NHL's best duos with Joseph Woll, but was in potential Vezina contention as well.
It's a great sign that Stolarz will be back soon for the Maple Leafs, because if they can end the month strong and have Stolarz have some momentum heading into their 4 Nations break; he's going to get healthier which means Toronto is going to get even more dangerous.