When the Toronto Maple Leafs were set to host the Buffalo Sabres on the second night of a home-and-home series, it was clear that Anthony Stolarz was going to get some rest. However, hours before the game, the Leafs announced that Dennis Hildeby had been called up.
That created some confusion that we here at The Hockey News can clear up. While the club announced that Hildeby had indeed been called up, what wasn’t clear or announced at the time was that the club actually called the goaltender up on an emergency exception.
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With Joseph Woll unavailable—the club had announced on Friday that the netminder was returning to practices following a personal leave, but was still out—and the team already at the maximum roster limit of 23 players, the Leafs exercised Article 16.13 of the collective bargaining agreement. This rule allowed them to temporarily exceed the 23-player roster limit while Stolarz recovered.
A Club may use the 16.13 goaltender exemption on up to two occasions during the season for a traditional recall. Each exemption may last a maximum of 48 hours.
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Stolarz addressed the media following the club’s 5-3 loss in Buffalo, with both of his knees heavily iced. The goaltender had just completed his seventh start out of Toronto’s first eight games to open the season.
It was clear that Stolarz needed a break. In his last three starts, the goaltender called out his team’s performance following a 4-3 overtime loss to the Seattle Kraken. He dropped back-to-back games to the New Jersey Devils (5-2) and the Sabres, posting save percentages below .900 in all three contests.
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Despite Stolarz’s recent struggles, Cayden Primeau is 2-0-0 since he was claimed off waivers before the regular season started and made 23 saves in the club’s 4-3 OT win against Buffalo on Saturday. True to the spirit of the exception, the Leafs returned Hildeby to the Marlies on Sunday.
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It’s clear things weren’t going well, and Stolarz has carried a heavy workload. The goaltender has been asked to carry the load during Woll’s absence, and the American goalie has never played more than 34 games in an NHL season before.
The expectation is the goaltender will be back between the pipes when the club hosts the Calgary Flames on Tuesday. Although Woll is returning to the team, he is ineligible to play until Nov. 1 at the earliest after he was placed on long-term injured reserve retroactive to Oct. 7. Until then, utilizing the exception was an effective way to give Stolarz, their primary netminder, a needed breather
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