Toronto Maple Leafs goalie Anthony Stolarz is expected to miss some time as he undergoes a procedure in his knee, general manager Brad Treliving announced on Tuesday.
Treliving estimated the recovery timeline at four to six weeks. Stolarz is expected to undergo the procedure in New York on Wednesday.
The 30-year-old netminder left in the first period of Thursday’s game on Dec. 12 against the Anaheim Ducks and did not return. Stolarz was coming off a magnificent 38-save outing in a 2-1 overtime win in New Jersey against the Devils on Dec. 10.
Maple Leafs’ head coach Craig Berube later labelled Stolarz as day-to-day with a knee injury, but the team placed him on injured reserve, retroactive to Dec. 12.
Treliving told reporters on Tuesday that an MRI came back negative. While it revealed no structural damage, it found a loose body in the knee that resembled a pebble.
Stolarz (9-5-2) has a troublesome history of knee injuries and surgeries. He has never played more than 28 games in a single season but was well positioned to do so in his first as a Maple Leaf.
Stolarz has been one of the league’s best goalies this season with a .927 save percentage and 2.15 goals against average in 17 starts. He joined the Maple Leafs as a free agent last summer, signing a two-year, $5 million contract.
Toronto is now expected to rely on goalie Joseph Woll for the foreseeable future, and he’s expected to start Wednesday’s road game in Dallas. Toronto has Dennis Hildeby currently on the roster as the backup. Matt Murray and Artur Akhtyamov are in the AHL with the Marlies.
