Ex-Leaf dislikes how Leafs Nation is treating Joseph Woll

I think anyone who is a fan of the Toronto Maple Leafs knows at least one person who follows the team who is very quick to cast guys out and disparage them when things don't go according to plan. We saw it with Ilya Samsonov earlier this season, with many hoping he'd be claimed on waivers or traded after clearing. Right about now, following Samsonov's return to form, I'm sure many of those same individuals are not pleased with this most recent run of games from rookie netminder Joseph Woll.

On the surface, Woll's last 5 games paint a pretty concerning picture. He's lost 4 of his last 5 starts and has posted a SV% over .900 just once, in a 2-1 loss to Carolina on March 24th. However, it's also important to note that he's coming off of a devastating ankle injury, which forced him out of action for more than two months. It's going to take awhile for him to shake off the rust, especially with everyone else in late-season form, preparing themselves for the playoffs.

Woll is taking a lot of heat for his poor and inconsistent play of late, which I'm sure isn't helping matters. Goalies, especially young ones, tend to ebb and flow as their confidence goes up and down. In Toronto, where everything is under a microscope and where there can be a lot of media attention, the players feel it more than players in other markets do, which one former Leaf, Jay Rosehill, believes is contributing to the problem in Toronto. His message? Ease up on these guys and help build them up with support and positivity instead of always breaking them down with negativity and spite.



The rant from Rosehill really did say it all. It's tough to be positive when we're surrounded by so many negatives, but with Woll showing a lot of promise in his young career, the last thing this market needs to do is destroy the confidence of yet another goaltender. Woll has played well enough over the past two seasons to warrant the benefit of the doubt here, and while, yes, it is frustrating to watch this team lose games they should win, supporting them through thick and thin will make the wins feel that much sweeter, especially in the playoffs.