After Monday’s practice, GM Brad Treliving discussed goaltender Joseph Woll’s return to the organization after his leave of absence throughout most of October.
Brad Treliving’s Statement on Joseph Woll rejoining the team
Treliving: Number one, it is great to have him back. I am not going to get into any of the issues with his leave. I will leave that to Joe at a certain time. He will speak [to the media], but it won’t be today. We are going to let him get his feet underneath him. When he is comfortable taking that step, certainly, he will.
The plan is really to get him up and going. He has been off the ice. He skated some when he was on his leave, but this is getting back in the team setting. The plan is to watch and adjust on a daily basis here. He has joined the team. He skated on Saturday and today.
We are going to take it day by day and integrate him in. A lot of it is going to be based on how he is feeling physically. He has missed camp. But he has been on the ice in the last couple of weeks on a sort of every-other-day basis. He has had some time on the ice.
It is probably not unreasonable to expect, once we get to that stage, that he’ll go and play some conditioning games with the Marlies, but it is really that we are going to take our Joe and how he is feeling on a daily basis as he gets up to speed.
It is great to have him back. The group is excited to get him back. He’s doing well. It is a really positive sign that he rejoined the group.
Q&A w/ Brad Treliving
What is the biggest challenge for Woll returning and getting up to speed?
Treliving: Just that; when you miss camp, it’s about getting those reps and getting game reps.
Now, Joe keeps himself in great shape. It is a little bit unusual, but not unprecedented. Players have gone through injuries and different situations where they’ve missed time. His conditioning levels are fabulous, and he has been on the ice. Now, it is just a matter of getting reps. There is a difference between being on the ice, progressing to a practice with traffic and bodies around, and then the next step of getting into game action.
I don’t think it will be too, too long, but it will be a process now that is now underway.
The team has leaned heavily on Anthony Stolarz. Do you think a return to a tandem situation will help Stolarz’s game?
Treliving: Yeah, at a certain point, but we are just going to go day by day. I don’t have a date circled… I shouldn’t say that — I do have a date circled — but we will have to see when it is. You have plans, and then you alter them based on how things are going. Certainly, Joe is a big part of our team. It will be good to have him back when he is back playing, but we are not going to rush it. It will happen when he is ready to go.
What date is Woll eligible to return?
Treliving: I believe it is November 1st, but he won’t be ready. That won’t be an issue; he won’t be ready and still have to sit out based on his LTIR situation. We’ll see.
What have you learned about how to support a player through something like Woll’s situation?
Treliving: I have been through this before. Over your career, you deal with a lot of issues. I don’t think anything ever changes. He has a great support system with his teammates. The organization is 100% behind him. That’s what you do for all of your players. We deal with a lot of issues, not unlike anyone else dealing with issues.
These guys deal with the same things we all deal with. It gets magnified because of the line of work they’re in — there is more coverage of it — so you make sure you have the resources, the personnel, and the player and person’s best interest in mind. I am proud of how the organization has supported Joe, and we will for every player.
Was it a matter of Joe coming to you and saying he was ready to return?
Treliving: Yeah, there is a process to go through. He was eager and excited to get back.
What have you liked about what you’ve seen from Woll since he’s returned to the team?
Treliving: He’s just been Joe. He is an upbeat guy. He is such a caring person, right? I think it was great for the guys to see him. He is a really popular teammate. He is really close with this group. As good as it was for Joe to have the guys, it was good for the guys to have Joe back.
It has been a good couple of days. He’s eager to get going.
Is there any consideration to carrying three goalies when Woll is up and running?
Treliving: We will worry about that when we get there. From Joe’s standpoint, it is sort of parallel paths. We are focused on getting him up and going.
Cayden has come in and done a really good job. As I said when we got Cayden in here, we liked him as a goaltender. We have Anthony, and let’s not forget that Dennis had a good camp and is playing. We like the depth that we have, but we will cross those bridges when we get there.
On a slightly different topic, John Tavares is on the precipice of 500 goals. What can you say about the player and person from the time you’ve gotten to know him?
Treliving: Everything that has been said about him and his preparation; he is like a fine wine, right? He gets better with age. It is not by accident. The work and preparation he puts in is second-to-none to any athlete I’ve been around. When you are prepared like that, the results come, and his results are the byproduct of having some God-given ability, but also the sweat equity that he puts in. The preparation and time he dedicates to his craft show in his results.
Is a timeline emerging for Chris Tanev and Scott Laughton?
Treliving: We will see this week. Tanny won’t play tomorrow; he isn’t eligible to come off IR until Saturday.
We’ll just see. They’re getting closer. Scott has missed more time and is in that stage of really starting to ramp up, and he will hopefully be joining the group before too long. Hopefully, it’s sooner rather than later.
