Who knows what the Toronto Maple Leafs are looking for as they visit the St. Louis Blues on Saturday night? One thing you can probably be sure of is that head coach Craig Berube would love to win against the old team that let him go in 2023.
Toronto is coming off back-to-back wins, including a 4-3 victory over the New York Rangers on Wednesday, and for the first time in a while, there’s at least a little lift around this team. It doesn’t suddenly rewrite the bigger story of the season. But for whatever reason, these games still matter. Pride, jobs, and reputations matter.
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The challenge is that St. Louis suddenly looks like one of the hottest teams in hockey. The Blues come into this one riding a three-game winning streak and have gone 9-1-2 in March. For Toronto, this is exactly the kind of game that tells you something about who they are.
Item One: Can Joseph Woll Stay Hot?
If the Maple Leafs are going to make it three straight, Joseph Woll may once again be the biggest reason why. He was excellent against the Rangers, stopping 40 shots and looking composed throughout. That calmness matters. What stood out was how well he controlled rebounds. Too often this season, the Maple Leafs’ defensive zone has turned into a pinball machine after the first save. Against New York, Woll did a much better job of swallowing pucks and steering danger away.
John Tavares was right to single him out afterward. Woll didn’t just stop the puck — he prevented chaos. That’s been the recurring theme when he’s at his best. He gives the team a chance to settle down.
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The question now is whether Berube sticks with the hot hand or turns to Anthony Stolarz. With the season winding down and the schedule still demanding, there’s a strong case for rotating the crease. Still, after a performance like Wednesday’s, it wouldn’t be surprising at all to see Woll get another start. Daily Faceoff suggests Woll, but that’s unconfirmed.
Item Two: Bo Groulx Moved Back to Toronto Marlies
One of Friday’s smaller bits of news was the decision to send Benoit-Olivier Groulx back to the Toronto Marlies. At first glance, it might sound like a demotion. But it’s not the right way to look at it.
(John E. Sokolowski-Imagn Images)
This feels much more like smart roster management than any commentary on how the organization views him. In his brief stay with the Maple Leafs, Groulx made a pretty solid impression. In nine games, he chipped in three goals and two assists while adding 26 hits and three blocked shots. More than the raw numbers, he brought energy and a little snarl.
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The likely reason for the move is the American Hockey League (AHL) playoff planning. By sending him down now, the Maple Leafs make sure he’s available for the Marlies’ AHL playoff run without any waiver complications later. That’s important organizationally, and it still leaves the door open for an emergency recall before the NHL regular season ends.
Item Three: A Young Defenseman Signing Worth Watching
The Maple Leafs also made another under-the-radar move by signing defenseman Hayes Hundley to a three-year entry-level contract. This one won’t move the needle for a while, but Toronto continues to add depth to the blue-line pipeline, and Hundley becomes another development piece in the system. The 21-year-old comes out of the University of St. Thomas, where he posted six goals and six assists in 38 games this season.
Those numbers aren’t eye-popping, but for a defenseman making the jump to pro hockey, the stat line isn’t the whole story. The Maple Leafs scouts clearly saw something in his size, skating, or defensive instincts that made him worth the investment. For now, this looks very much like a developmental bet.
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He’ll finish the current season with the Marlies on an amateur tryout, while the NHL deal officially begins in 2026-27. He’s far from a lock to become an NHL regular, but good organizations keep adding these pieces and let development sort out the rest. Sometimes a player like this surprises everyone.
What’s Next for the Maple Leafs?
This will be Craig Berube’s second trip back to St. Louis since the Blues let him go in December 2023. There’s always a little emotion in those returns, especially in a city where he delivered a Stanley Cup and cemented his place in franchise history. Coaches rarely make these games about themselves, but let’s be honest — they matter.
The Blues won Berube’s first return by a 4-2 score, so you have to think this one carries a little extra weight for the Maple Leafs’ coach. If we’ve learned anything, it’s that Berube has a ton of pride. That gives this game a little more bite. Given that the Maple Leafs have decided to try to win every game over these final weeks, a little bite might not be the worst thing in the world.
