Maple Leafs Must Make a Bold Move in Key Area for a Major Boost During the Playoffs

It was frustrating to say the least for the Toronto Maple Leafs and Craig Berube given that this is the second straight game they had a chance to close things out but were unable to get things finished. Ottawa decimated them 4-0, and while they had two empty netters, it makes things look even worse.

When it comes to the goaltending, Anthony Stolarz has been called upon to shoulder the heavy load and immense pressure to succeed, and while he is doing the best job he can, it looks like he is getting a bit overwhelmed.

Which is why the team should really take a look at putting in Joseph Woll for a big boost, and given his track record; it would be in their best interest to do so.

Leafs Morning Take co-hosts Nick Alberga and Jay Rosehill discussed with former Maple Leafs GM Brian Burke about what the team needs to do in order to make it into the second round, where the hosts mentioned that perhaps Joseph Woll was the answer.

Burke vehemently disagreed, but it does bring in a good point. Who was the one who took the reins over last season and made sure the Maple Leafs even made it to seven games? Woll.

If he hadn't gotten hurt in the literal last second of Game 6, he very well could have helped Toronto make it to round two and potentially beyond. With Toronto needing to get through this suddenly staunch Ottawa team, why not give him the call once again?

Woll deserves a shot, because Stolarz is not going to be here forever, and while you need to ride the hot hand, it's cooling off quick. Woll isn't a terrible goaltender whatsoever, and with Craig Berube seemingly unwilling to make any drastic changes to his lineup on the forward side, maybe a goalie swap is what's needed.

Woll struggled this season at times, yes. But he also shouldered the entirety of Toronto's workload when Stolarz was out for over a month and carried them to success. His stats aren't bad though, and he had a 27-14-1 record with a 2.73 GAA and .909 SV%; very respectable numbers for his first true test as a starter.

He's their goaltender of the future (though that future is basically now) and he needs to be given a chance to show the team they can rely on him after Stolarz moves on.

With not much time left for Craig Berube and the Maple Leafs to figure something out before potentially choking a 3-0 lead; they should turn to a brick Woll instead and see if he can prevent any disastrous outcomes.