Anthony Stolarz takes a step forward in his recovery

To say that Anthony Stolarz has suffered a rough season could be considered a vast understatement. He not only struggled to replicate his previous season's form early on, but an injury has kept him on the shelf for nearly the last two months.

No one knows exactly what's going on with him right now, and he just recently took the ice for the first time since his injury meaning he's likely a long ways away from coming back.

Practice however showed that his return could still be on the horizon as he was seen skating before Maple Leafs practice alongside Dakota Mermis as the two work their way back:

Stolarz has been out indefinitely with no direct timeline for his return meanwhile Mermis is actually progressing pretty well considering the injury he sustained after Tampa's Gage Goncalves ran his knee directly into Mermis'.

Since Stolarz's injury, Toronto has gone 13-10-6 while giving up 94 goals against, however they are also scoring at a high rate with 94 goals; so their differential isn't bad all things considered.

But the goaltender himself has been grinding by through the skin of his teeth this season. He's posted a 6-5-1 record with a 3.51 GAA and .884 SV% which is a stark contrast from last year when he went 21-8-3 with a 2.14 GAA and .926 SV%.

It's a bad look that he's only made a handful of starts and has been beset by injuries so much into his Leafs tenure and the fact they signed him to an extension for the next four years; they have to make sure he's healthy.

Stolarz was injured in December 2024 after tweaking something in his knee which required a month off, then got knocked out of the second round of the playoffs after getting concussed by a Sam Bennett elbow.

This is a good sign that he's able to at least take the ice more consistently and while we likely won't see him until after the Olympic break, if he can make a return at all this season it would be a huge boost to the team and the locker room morale.

For now though, it'll be up to Dennis Hildeby and Joseph Woll to hold things down in the meantime, and if they can keep up their consistency and reliability then it makes it easier to stomach losing Stolarz for a bit longer.