The Toronto Maple Leafs will have to adjust to life without goaltender Anthony Stolarz for the time being as he landed on the injured reserve Sunday.
Stolarz, 30, has been nothing short of tremendous for the Leafs this season, posting a 9-5-2 record, a .927 save percentage and a 2.15 goals against average, but he found himself shaken up during the Maple Leafs’ game against the Anaheim Ducks on Thursday.
While the Leafs would win 3-2, Stolarz turned aside seven of eight shots he faced in the first period, but didn’t return to the crease for the third. His IR placement is retroactive to December 12th, taking him out of the lineup until next Friday, at the soonest. He is reportedly dealing with a lower-body injury.
Stolarz inked a two-year deal worth $2.5-million annually this summer, and quickly took over as the team’s starting goaltender. Now, the team will turn to Joseph Woll. Toronto hosts the Buffalo Sabres Sunday, before visiting the Dallas Stars Wednesday and the Sabres Friday when Stolarz is first eligible to return.

Barzal returns, Horvat out

In other injury news, the New York Islanders activated Mat Barzal from the Long-Term Injured Reserve Sunday ahead of their game against the Blackhawks.
Barzal had been out since early November dealing with an upper-body injury and will look to breathe some life back into a team that sputtered to an 8-7-5 record without him. He had appeared in 10 games before his injury earlier this season, scoring two goals and five points, scoring below his previous clips.
In fact, the 2023-24 was Barzal’s best since his rookie season, racking up 23 goals and 80 points in 80 games, leading the team in points.
Good news of Barzal’s return also saw some bad news hit as Bo Horvat is being considered day-to-day, missing Sunday’s game, with a lower-body injury.

Other news and notes…

  • The NHL will release quarter-century teams for all 32 NHL teams beginning later this month. The St. Louis Blues will get the honour of being the first team to have their team named, coming on December 30th, and ending on January 31st. The Oilers will be the second-last team to be revealed, coming on January 30th. Between Feb. 12th and 26th, fans will have the chance to vote on a league-wide team, selecting the top 25 plays from the last 25 years, regardless of position.
  • Denmark was promoted to the top division of World Junior Hockey, but will have to wait another year to get into the action. They beat Austria 5-4 on the final day of the 2025 Division IA tournament on the backs of a three-goal third period. It’s the first time that Denmark is in the top division since 2019, having been relegated the following year. They’ll return for the 2026 edition of the tournament, replacing whoever gets relegated.
Zach Laing is the Nation Network’s news director and senior columnist, making up one-half of the DFO DFS Report. He can be followed on Twitter at @zjlaing, or reached by email at zach@thenationnetwork.com.