Anthony Stolarz has been out of the Toronto Maple Leafs lineup since Christmas as he has been dealing with a knee injury that even required a procedure.
Thankfully, the goaltender has been able to ramp up his conditioning and today, he participated in a full practice with the team.
With Stolarz practicing and taking shots, there has been quite a bit of speculation as to when he might return to the lineup.
Some even felt like he could be back as soon as this weekend with the team taking on the Edmonton Oilers.
However, according to head coach Craig Berube, fans shouldn't get too ahead of themselves just yet. Instead, they must still exercise patience.
According to Luke Fox of Sportsnet, it is looking likely that Stolarz will be able to play his first game back prior to the 4 Nations Face-Off.
There are five games between now and the tournament, which has some fans wondering whether or not it is even worth it.
Instead, it might just be smarter to wait until after the tournament as it will give Stolarz even more time to get back to 100 percent, which is important for goaltenders.
That said, Stolarz' 2.15 goals-against average and .927 save percentage are very enticing giving the team's latest losing skid.
However, you have to appreciate Berube for wanting to stay the course and avoid any brash decisions.
POLL | ||
JANVIER 28 | 247 ANSWERS Craig Berube Reveals When Anthony Stolarz Will Most Likely Return to the Lineup Do you believe Anthony Stolarz will be the Toronto Maple Leafs starting goaltender? | ||
YES | 223 | 90.3 % |
NO | 24 | 9.7 % |
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