Despite being a second round draft pick, standing at 6‘6″, posting positive results across his professional career, and coming off of a Stanley Cup, Anthony Stolarz joins Leafs Nation without much fanfare. No stranger to being overlooked, Stolarz has bounced around the league over his career. Despite this, the 30-year-old goaltender is coming off of what was arguably his best season as a professional.
Let’s take a closer look at Stolarz, what he brings to the crease, and how he fits into the Leafs goaltending puzzle in 2024–25.
Setting the scene
With Ilya Samsonov and Martin Jones parting ways with the Leafs this offseason, there is some change at the team’s goaltending position. On the other hand, presumptive starter Joseph Woll returns, signed to a three-year extension at roughly a $3.66M hit, as does veteran Matt Murray, who missed all of last season with injury.
Were it not for their injury histories both Woll and Murray would be much more highly regarded, but their injury issues have to be taken into account. Woll looks to have a chance at being the Leafs best goalie of the Auston Matthews era, when healthy. Murray is more of a wildcard, as a return to form is more doubtful. Regardless, his performances were solid, and his new sub $1M cap hit will change expectations from the fans.
Returning is also Dennis Hildeby, our sixth-ranked Leafs prospect who was nearly forced into NHL action last season. As far as waiver-exempt AHLers go Hildeby is nearly as good as one could hope. He still needs time before earning a regular NHL role, but at least it would not be wholly irresponsible to start Hildeby on a short-term emergency basis.
Together, these four goalies (not to leave out similarly impressive, seventh-ranked prospect Artur Akhtyamov) represent a strong foundation for the present and future. There is a lot to like, but there is justifiable cause for concern just the same. Last season, the void was left unfilled by Samsonov and Jones. Samsonov might have had the skill, but was inconsistent throughout his time as a Leaf, to say the least. Jones was consistent, but perhaps no longer skilled enough to be a reliable playoff option.
This year, the Leafs turn to Stolarz to help bridge the gap. The Leafs have a lot of youth and upside, as in inexperience, as well as injury concerns. The team is clearly hoping that Stolarz can be the rock-solid presence they need in a backup goalie. Signed to a two-year, $2.5M contract this summer, let’s take a look at Stolarz to see if the Leafs hopes are well placed.
Stats
| Season | Team | League | GP | SO | GA | SV% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2011–12 | Corpus Christi IceRays | NAHL | 50 | 3 | 2.84 | 0.92 |
| 2012–13 | U. of Nebraska-Omaha | WCHA | 8 | 1 | 2.56 | 0.898 |
| 2012–13 | London Knights 🏆 | OHL | 20 | 1 | 2.29 | 0.92 |
| 2013–14 | London Knights | OHL | 35 | 4 | 2.52 | 0.926 |
| 2014–15 | Lehigh Valley Phantoms | AHL | 31 | 2 | 3.28 | 0.905 |
| 2015–16 | Lehigh Valley Phantoms | AHL | 47 | 0 | 2.6 | 0.916 |
| 2016–17 | Lehigh Valley Phantoms | AHL | 29 | 1 | 2.92 | 0.911 |
| 2016–17 | Philadelphia Flyers | NHL | 7 | 1 | 2.07 | 0.928 |
| 2017–18 | Lehigh Valley Phantoms | AHL | 1 | 0 | 6.08 | 0.829 |
| 2017–18 | Reading Royals | ECHL | 3 | 0 | 3.02 | 0.902 |
| 2018–19 | Philadelphia Flyers | NHL | 12 | 1 | 3.33 | 0.902 |
| 2018–19 | Lehigh Valley Phantoms | AHL | 5 | 0 | 3.58 | 0.901 |
| 2018–19 | Edmonton Oilers | NHL | 6 | 0 | 3.77 | 0.897 |
| 2019–20 | Anaheim Ducks | NHL | 1 | 0 | 2.04 | 0.944 |
| 2019–20 | San Diego Gulls | AHL | 39 | 0 | 2.66 | 0.922 |
| 2020–21 | Anaheim Ducks | NHL | 8 | 1 | 2.2 | 0.926 |
| 2020–21 | San Diego Gulls | AHL | 3 | 0 | 2.93 | 0.92 |
| 2021–22 | Anaheim Ducks | NHL | 28 | 3 | 2.67 | 0.917 |
| 2022–23 | Anaheim Ducks | NHL | 19 | 0 | 3.66 | 0.899 |
| 2023–24 | Florida Panthers 🏆 | NHL | 27 | 2 | 2.03 | 0.925 |
History
Although at this point most fans think of Stolarz as a pure backup, at one point he was a well-regarded prospect. Selected by the Philadelphia Flyers in the second round of the 2012 NHL Draft, Stolarz continued to grow, leaving college for playing time in the OHL. Through the seasons Stolarz progressed nicely through the OHL to the AHL, eventually making a promising seven-game NHL debut for the Flyers in 2016–17. At this point Stolarz was riding high, but it would not last long.
Later that season, Stolarz injured his knee, needing repairs on his MCL and meniscus. The injury would keep him out for the rest of the 2016–17 season, as well as nearly the entire 2017–18 season. Since then, a steady path to playing time has been hard to come by for Stolarz, but the results have been quite positive.
Stolarz can be forgiven for taking some time to get back to form. Expected to compete for the Flyers backup job in 2018–19, Stolarz was later traded, playing in just 23 games across two NHL teams and one AHL team.
Stolarz would spend the next three seasons with the Anaheim Ducks, slowly working his way up the depth chart. Stolarz seemed to be back in top form, posting strong AHL results and maintaining those numbers fairly well in the NHL. Playing for an overmatched Ducks team was no easy task, but Stolarz posted better raw numbers than some of his creasemates. Eventually, with John Gibson and rising star Lukas Dostal emerging as a true starter, Stolarz was pushed out of Anaheim.
Stolarz parlayed his successful rehab in Anaheim into a backup job for the Florida Panthers, and a Stanley Cup ring no less. Stolarz once again posted strong results, this time behind the league’s best team, albeit in a backup role. Since becoming a full-time NHLer in 2021–22, Stolarz has played only in a backup role, averaging roughly 25 games across those three seasons.
Profile
His numbers would indicate that Stolarz deserves more starts, and since his injury it has been circumstance that has pushed him out of favour. In Anaheim it was Dostal emerging, and in Florida, it was the return of Spencer Knight. Given his trajectory before the injury, and his play since, Stolarz seems like a fairly safe bet to at least provide backup support to the Leafs.
With that said, despite being 30 years old, Stolarz might still have a greater ceiling on the horizon. Chances are that Stolarz will be required to take the reins if Woll is injured. Stolarz has not been able to prove that he can handle a 35-game workload, but he has yet to be given the chance. The Leafs should be able to play reasonably well defensively, as they have been, which will certainly be a help to whoever is in net.
In the end, there is a lot to like about Stolarz. Circumstances have made it tough for him to get his foot into the door, but given his size, pedigree, and results there is good reason to hope that he can outperform his new contract, his most lucrative to date.
Fit
The salary cap forces teams to speak with their money, and Stolarz is clearly in the second spot of the Leafs depth chart. Murray and Hildeby are nice depth options, one multiple Stanley Cup champion and one prospect.
Ideally, all the goalies stay healthy and perform well. In this case, we should expect Stolarz to reach 30 NHL games, setting a new career high. If Woll is healthy all season, playing him much more than 50 games would still seem like pushing luck. We will see how the Leafs handle Murray, but it is possible that he works his way into a few games as well if the Leafs want to see how he fares.
More likely is that one of Woll or Murray will miss time during the year, which would be enough that the Leafs need to turn to Stolarz more heavily. Baking in some injury time, and perhaps even a stretch where Woll is not at his sharpest, Stolarz has a path to push for 40 games this season. Given their ages, Woll is clearly a longer-term option for the Leafs. Still, as he looks to enter his first season as a starter Stolarz could push Woll, or rather, help the Leafs pick up valuable points as they prioritize optimal rest for their starter.
It is unlikely that Stolarz can push for a long-term starter’s role, but there is a chance that he earns playoff starts. Stolarz might find himself pushed out by a promising wave of prospects when his two-year deal expires, but he might be getting a raise at that time, presumably leaving Toronto on good terms with the fans. It is possible that his best years are ahead of him, and that the Leafs will be the beneficiaries of some strong seasons from Stolarz. Nothing is written yet, and the future will hold surprises, but Stolarz appears to be a good bet for the Leafs.
