Yahoo Sports Maple Leafs’ Anthony Stolarz Could Reportedly Begin Skating This Week, Eyeing Late January Or Early February For Return From Knee Injury
The Toronto Maple Leafs may soon see a key piece of their goaltending tandem return to action.
Anthony Stolarz, sidelined since mid-December after undergoing a knee procedure to remove a loose body, is reportedly close to resuming on-ice activities. The 30-year-old netminder, who had been enjoying a strong start to the 2024-25 season, could potentially begin skating this week, said head coach Craig Berube on Saturday – marking a step in the right direction in his recovery process.
"Stolarz will be on his own for a bit. But I expect that soon, like maybe this week," Berube said on Saturday. “I hope that he can get on the ice and do some things. With us [in practice], I don't know yet with that one.”
Related: How Close Are Jake McCabe And Anthony Stolarz To Returning To Maple Leafs' Lineup?
On Monday, NHL insider Darren Dreger joined FirstUp 1050 to shed light on Stolarz’s recovery timeline, relaying more insight on the updates from Berube.
“This one is a little bit unique because he had a procedure on his knee. The first step is always getting back on the ice,” said Dreger. “Just testing the leg and seeing how it feels and kind of slowly working your way back. As soon as he can get into practice rotation, then that tells you he is real close to making a return.”
.@DarrenDreger on Marner's comments defending the Leafs effort, the power play continues to struggle & how close is Stolarz to returning #LeafsForever https://t.co/WMnOpPy6IG
— First Up (@FirstUp1050) January 13, 2025
Dreger provided some optimism, adding that the initial hope was for Stolarz to play in a game by late January, though early February remains a realistic target if necessary.
“The message that I was given, and don’t etch this in stone by any stretch of the imagination, this was my prep for last week’s game, was that everyone was hopeful that he’d be playing in a game at some point late January. But they wouldn’t be overly concerned if it wasn’t until early February. So that sounds like a bump of good news by (Craig) Berube,” Dreger explained.
“Again, let’s measure when Stolarz gets back onto the ice, what’s he doing? Is he just simply skating? When he gets back into the rotation of practicing, again, without looking at the schedule, normally it’s a couple of good heavy practices before you come back into the mix. When that happens, he wouldn’t be that far away,” he added.
Stolarz’s absence has been felt, as he was a reliable presence between the pipes for the Leafs before his injury on December 12 against the Anaheim Ducks, compiling a 9-5-2 record with a 2.15 goals-against average and a .927 save percentage in 17 appearances.
The surgery, which took place in mid-December, addressed what Leafs general manager Brad Treliving described as a “little pebble” in Stolarz’s knee. Initially given a recovery timeline of four to six weeks, the goaltender seems to be progressing well, with his first skate expected to occur soon.
“Obviously, with Stolie going down here last, however long it's been, three weeks or so. You know, Joe's (Woll) really carried the ball. We've had Dennis (Hildeby) come in, Matt (Murray) come in. So we've shown some depth there,” said Treliving, after Monday’s on-ice session.
While his return still seems to remain weeks away, the news of his improving progress is a promising one.
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