Rick Tocchet's Joseph Woll comments will make Maple Leafs fans sad

Philadelphia head coach Rick Tocchet had some big praise for Joseph Woll that will make fans upset knowing they lost one of their homegrown talents.

When the Toronto Maple Leafs traded Joseph Woll to the Philadelphia Flyers, it was seen as a move that was meant to open up cap and roster space, while being able to add a more mobile defender in Emil Andrae. Woll had been solid, but dealt with injury issues and the team decided they wanted a more steady approach in net.

So Woll is now going to be splitting time with Dan Vladar in Philly and is looking to get his footing back under him after a tough 2025-26 season. His first preseason game was a mixed bag, though Rick Tocchet liked what he saw so far.

Joseph Woll receives big praise from his new head coach ahead of 2026-27 season

Tocchet also believes that the former Maple Leafs goaltender is going to be a key asset for the Flyers and it could lead some fans to wonder what Toronto was doing when they traded him:

He can carry the load and he's an intelligent goalie. Even on the puck handles he is going to help our handles tremendously. Some of the system stuff we do, we need the goalie to play the puck a lot. I think we were just OK last year, and I think he will help us break out the puck better.

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Woll, 29, put up a 15-16-7 record with a 3.34 GAA and .898 SV% last year in a down year for the Maple Leafs, and though he's a good goalie, does have some flaws such as his rebound control where he's given up 451 rebounds over the past two seasons, with Anthony Stolarz with only 330 in 20 less games.

Puck Prime has Woll projected to go 19-16-3 with a 3.12 GAA and .901 SV%. If he hits those numbers, it's not a bad season but it's not one that is going to push the Flyers into the playoffs in the stacked Eastern Conference.

Maple Leafs fans are puzzled by Tocchet's comments despite losing Woll

While the fans were a little concerned as to why the team initially traded Woll, many have pointed out that Tocchet's comments are a little concerning themselves. Several posts on social media explain Woll's ineffectiveness at playing the puck, and how a larger workload led to his struggles:

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The general sentiment around social media is that Tocchet might not know exactly what he has in Woll, and while he's more than serviceable, there's a reason the Maple Leafs moved on so quickly after the new regime took charge.

Tocchet may have unwavering belief in Woll's puck-handling ability but he might be biting off more than he can chew if he's projecting Woll to be able to handle not only the puck - but the rigors of an 84-game workload.

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