OldTimeHockey
Well-known member
It's great that we broke up the "core four".... But I hope everyone realizes that it's still a team with a "core four". It's just weaker now.
2025-26 Toronto Maple Leafs General Discussion
- Thread starter herman
- Start date
L K
Well-known member
Is there any confirmation that mental health can't be treated strictly as an LTIR issue? I deal with insurance paperwork on a pretty regular basis for disability assessments and while Mental health and physical injuries often get different forms it's still handled in the same way. Could the PAP be optional in a mental health situation?
Again that's purely spitballing on things and I'm not trying to get into actual injury speculation
I do not claim expertise in this but my understanding was Player Assistance is confidential and voluntary. If Woll didn't volunteer for that program ... and sought mental health treatment privately for example, Player Assistance wouldn't or may not come into play but that would not eliminate a mental health issue. He would be electing to go another path as is his right.
We don't have an upper or lower body injury report - nor any witness of an injury occurring. His equipment is still in his locker. He has a medical history with mental health. The team has been very tight lipped about what is going on "he's back when he's back". And now, we find out he is on LTIR which you don't typically do for personal leave when someone else in the family is ill and when there has never been a report of upper or lower body injury.
When I join those dots, I can't exclude a mental health issue. In fact, with this news, it seems more likely.
David Alter is claiming that it's a salary cap optimization thing..
Why the Maple Leafs Placed Joseph Woll on Long-Term Injured Reserve
Joseph Woll's LTIR designation was a strategic to make room for Dakota Mermis' call-up. Woll's status remains unchanged.
thehockeynews.com
…but also that could simply be the party line.
So any team can arbitrarily put a player on LTIR as "a salary cap optimization thing" without any doctors, etc.David Alter is claiming that it's a salary cap optimization thing..
Why the Maple Leafs Placed Joseph Woll on Long-Term Injured Reserve
Joseph Woll's LTIR designation was a strategic to make room for Dakota Mermis' call-up. Woll's status remains unchanged.
…but also that could simply be the party line.
That is a twist to the CBA I certainly hadn't contemplated or heard of.
I guess I mistakenly thought the player had to be injured or ill ...
I wouldn't really jump to any conclusions here. Players have been on LTIR for non-injury reasons before (Drouin during his mental health break, Nichushkin during his suspension). The wording of the rule might not fully support things like that but obviously Bettman and the league are allowed to approve it when the situation arises and it's obviously clear the team isn't trying to circumvent anything.
Well odd timing consisting the LTIR placement earlier today, but again that was only done because the Leafs needed the additional cap space with so many injuries piling up.
He'll be required to miss 10 games still so that would put his earliest possible return game against Columbus next week. I'd guess he'd need a little more time to get up to speed though, with maybe even a short conditioning stint on the Marlies.
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