Jonas Gustavsson's bid to become the Toronto Maple Leafs' backup goalie for the 2009-10 season has hit a minor speed bump just one week into the preseason.
The 24-year-old rookie Gustavsson underwent an ablation after the goalie experienced a racing heartbeat following fitness tests on Saturday and on-ice workouts on Monday. Leafs head coach Ron Wilson explains that the ablation is a minor procedure that will keep the goalie out of camp for no more than 48 hours.
"They go in and touch a part of his heart that was
misfiring," Wilson said of the procedure according to the Associated Press. "It's a simple procedure that's actually fairly common
with athletes. Our doctor said he'll do 10 NHL players in a summer if
they're ever shown this [problem]. It's not a difficult procedure. We don't
expect him to miss more than 48 hours. You don't want him to put his gear on
until he's comfortable and there's no risk of infection."
Last season, Vesa Toskala led the Leafs with a 22-17-11 record to go with a 3.26 GAA in 53 games, and is expected to be in the crease when Toronto opens the regular season. Battling Gustavsson for the backup role will be Joey MacDonald, a former Bruins backstop who spent the last two seasons with the Islanders. Last year, MacDonald posted a 14-26-6 record for New York.
