Joseph Woll scratched from Maple Leafs opener in Montreal

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Joseph Woll’s first NHL season-opening start is a non-starter.

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Less than a day after saying how pumped he was to begin the season in Montreal, the Maple Leafs goaltender will be a spectator Wednesday evening.

Coach Craig Berube told media at the Bell Centre on Wednesday morning that Woll had developed “lower body tightness” and was scratched.

Newcomer Anthony Stolarz, who was anticipating the assignment in his home state of New Jersey on Thursday, will be in net against the Habs.

The Leafs called up Dennis Hildeby from the Marlies early Wednesday. Berube did not rule out Woll playing the Devils, but either way it’s a disturbing sign given Woll’s injury history, which has included some long stints on injured reserve.

Throughout camp, the 26-year-old keeper, one of the few home-grown Leafs draft picks to thrive at his position, had stated how positive he felt, mentally and physically, intending to stay healthy the entire season after being held to 25 games and getting hurt again in playoffs.

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He did labour through the end of a practice late last week when extending himself on a difficult save, but appeared fine after playing the full 60 minutes in a win over Detroit on Saturday. He signed a three-year, $10.98 million US contract that starts in 2025-26.

General manager Brad Treliving had expressed a feeling Woll’s injuries were just bad luck more than anything else. But the GM also said Tuesday that the final 23-man roster the Leafs submitted was not necessarily what would be in place to open the 82-game schedule.

Stolarz, who backed up Sergei Bobrovsky on the Stanley Cup champion Florida Panthers last year, also has never played a full season as a No. 1 goalie at the NHL level.

The Leafs also have Matt Murray in the fold, but he just cleared waivers and would be a salary cap burden.

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