Confirmed with Link: Leafs to sign Woll to 3 year extension on July 1st

[PROUD PAPA]

I don't mind this. Doesn't seem like there's much of a sure thing available so barring a trade, Tre was going to have to gamble on somebody. Might as well gamble on our own guy that has looked really solid at certain times.

 

[rumman]

Clearly not a consideration for the brains at MLSEL. Needed to squeeze Woll, not overpay him. Tre's contracts are starting to be worry some to me. Dubas was bad but he seemed to be better at it with the lower paid players. Tre has just been bad IMO.

Yup, Tre needs to offer real value contracts, overpaying is stupid especially on a unproven goslie made of glass, I mean I like Woll if he’s healthy, but that’s a big IF imo……

 

[Ianturnedbull]

This is a gamble that makes too much sense. If he keeps outplaying our starting goalie in the playoffs 3 straight years the number will be even higher. He was better 2 years in a row so the record is there and he's got tons of time to figure out injury issues. All kinds of road for this player. Realistically how much less could he have been paid. Nice stuff Brad

Philosophical question:

Is a gamble that "makes too much sense" even a gamble?

 

[Tie Domi Esquire]

Since apparently this deal would be great IF he stays healthy, one has to wonder what the deal would look like if he was actually able to play and (God forbid) win.

 

[rumman]

The only reason you pay him now, is because you're worried he costs more next year, which confirms the Leafs will give him 50-60 outright starter games this year. No way we're making a big goalie move now, it's Woll and a solid backup that could potentially offer more.

If he's healthy great move, but he never has been, so it's a stretch.

So Tre lises out on Markstrom so decides now he’ll go with Woll as his main goalie? What’s with yhis team this teeks of Shanahan wantingbto extend Dubas and a press conference later he’s moving in a different direction. MLSE is bipolar, they don’t have a plan, and uf they do the plan us to not have a plan……..

 

[647Hockey]

Leafs doing their usual $3-5M/yr goalie commitment. Woll is the guy for the next 3 years. Good goalie, but injury prone.

 

[BraveCanadian]

Yikes.. isn't he still RFA for this next contract?

Why wouldn't you wait and see if he can play in 25+ games without being hurt for half the season?

 

[Antropovsky]

It’s a good hedge that he turns into something resembling the star goalie he looks like. Worst comes, a goalie with that much potential on an affordable deal could still be a moveable piece. I would say $3.5 million feels a lot more comfortable than $4 million. There’s definitely a psychological barrier there.

For as little of games he's played, he's heaped alot of praise from around the league. Ullmark recently, and numerous broadcasts have indicated that former teammates or coaches have said he's the hardest worker they've ever met.

I'm not at all worried about this price. He has a .933 save percentage in mostly must win playoff games and he's 3-2-0. Should have a shutout too if it weren't for his team quitting on him in the dying seconds of game 6 vs Boston.

 

[ULF_55]

This fanbase is just addicted to being outraged I think.

It has nothing to do with being fans of %whatever%.

Outrage is the new normal.

Social media could have been a good thing.

I sometimes fondly look back at 2400 baud modems ... and then cringe.

Leafs fans aren't special ... we're just regular fans with instant reactions online.

 

[ULF_55]

So...was this plan B?

This comes on the wake of Treliving not being able to land Markström.

With all due respect to everyone here who is excited, but this is the fallback plan no?

I like Woll. He's great when he's healthy. Sadly he's never been healthy, so (sorry folks) he's not great.

Edited out the cynical last paragraph.

This contract kicks in 2025-2026 season right?
He'd have backed up Markstrom, making $767k.
Now he might be the starter or could still back-up another goalie 2024-2025.

 

[ACC1224]

It has nothing to do with being fans of %whatever%.

Outrage is the new normal.

Social media could have been a good thing.

I sometimes fondly look back at 2400 baud modems ... and then cringe.

Leafs fans aren't special ... we're just regular fans with instant reactions online.

Want to bet?

 

[ULF_55]

To those who kept saying once JT is off his 11mil cap, Leafs will have a money to get new players….but as I said before that 11mil will end up going to Woll, Knies and Holmberg new deal.
Woll’s new deal will cost 2.5-3mil less from the bye bye JT fun.
If JT is resign at 4mil, then that’s only 4mil remaining from his 11mil cap hit. Pretty sure 3mil of that will be toward Knies new deal. The remaining 1mil will be toward Holmberg’s new deal.

I'll be thrilled if Holmberg gets a huge increase.
It would mean he's taken the next step.

 

[LEAFANFORLIFE23]

Woll is as talented a goalie as there is in the league, hopefully he can become dependable and actually stay healthy because right now he's not trustworthy

 

[ULF_55]

Want to bet?

Being in the swamp with 'gaters' is different than standing on the shore looking at the people in the swamp with 'gaters'.

 

[Menzinger]

Did Woll have a better season than Samsanov when he was awarded his contract?

Woll played 28 games last season (including playoffs).

This contract should be signed if he has a good season next year.

I am not mad at the contract, it just seems premature.

I think people declaring this a win look like a fool currently.

The issue is the player may not be willing to sign the same contract at that later point.

I agree it's not necessarily a win, and that it could even flop depending on how things go. But too often I think fans just assume a player will take the same.deal under a different situation at a different date which often isn't the case.

 

[Gilmour1996]

I wonder what else is going on that triggered this information to be released today?

Maybe they want to remind a couple players that there is only so much money to go around so if they want to be Leafs next year to not dick around too long because their money will soon be spent elsewhere.

 

[Menzinger]

Yes I get that. But if you’re trying to get Brossoit as a UFA and Ned just signed for 2.5 and Woll with 40 games gets 3.5 I just don’t see any rationale for why he’s taking less with much better results.

Woll has potential. Brossoit and Stolarz have actual NHL resumes

Sure, but that's always the case in the NHL with RFA contracts.

Teams sometimes overpay guys. That doesn't mean all of a sudden every free agent demands the same deal.

Guys come to teams for lots of reasons - opportunity and exposure - are big ones to get with the Leafs.

 

[1specter]

Clearly not a consideration for the brains at MLSEL. Needed to squeeze Woll, not overpay him. Tre's contracts are starting to be worry some to me. Dubas was bad but he seemed to be better at it with the lower paid players. Tre has just been bad IMO.

Not sure I'd go that far. Tre has not signed any crippling contracts, Domi/Bert/Klingberg were all one year deals and the Benoit and McMann contracts are excellent IMO. Kampf deal isn't great but I suspect Shanahan/Dubas were already working on that one given how quickly it was signed after Tre got here. I don't love this Woll deal but perhaps they've figured something out with his health that gives them some more confidence.

 

[tmlms13]

Too much for someone with 39 career GP with a brutal injury history.

Robidias island might have a new resident.

 

[sxvnert]

Obvious overpayment but expected given the Leafs love for overpayments.

 

[colchar]

Overall a weird interaction. Why break this 7 days before you can make it official

They didn't break anything, an insider did. He ain't waiting until something becomes official and everyone else has the news, he is breaking the story now so that he is the first one to have it.

 

[Ianturnedbull]

They didn't break anything, an insider did. He ain't waiting until something becomes official and everyone else has the news, he is breaking the story now so that he is the first one to have it.

You heard it here first.

 

[The Iceman]

To me Treliving did very well locking up Benoit and McMann to $1.35/year contracts.

Woll to me seems to be at a similar stage in his NHL journey.
Not sure why the Leafs have to pay $3.5ish for Woll, and $1.35 for the other two???

 

[rumman]

Not sure I'd go that far. Tre has not signed any crippling contracts, Domi/Bert/Klingberg were all one year deals and the Benoit and McMann contracts are excellent IMO. Kampf deal isn't great but I suspect Shanahan/Dubas were already working on that one given how quickly it was signed after Tre got here. I don't love this Woll deal but perhaps they've figured something out with his health that gives them some more confidence.

Nylander and his agent say hi.............

 

[1specter]

Nylander and his agent say hi.............

I'd rather Nylander than Marner plus Dubas and Shanahan created the culture. By all accounts they tried to sign him to something in the 9-10 range last summer and he wouldn't budge and bet on himself. They also shopped him and didn't find a worthwhile package. Treliving paying for the sins of his predecessor.