Toronto Maple Leaf fans were treated to great news on Sunday morning. Starting goalie Anthony Stolarz was extended on a very team-friendly contract. Slated to become an unrestricted free agent after this season, Stolarz will instead begin a new four-year, $3.75M AAV contract. This was one of the team’s top priorities, and with it being handled now before the season starts, the focus can shift to other areas of the roster.
For Stolarz, the four years represents some job security that has been hard to come by. At one point, Stolarz was a good prospect, but injuries derailed his career. Stolarz would have to bounce around the league as a third-string goalie, often mopping up for teams who had key injuries in net. After some strong seasons with the Anaheim Ducks and Florida Panthers, including being a part of a Stanley Cup winning Panthers team, Stolarz had done enough to earn his initial two-year contract with the Leafs.
Anthony Stolarz’ time with the Toronto Maple Leafs
His first season with the Leafs was more of the same, as Stolarz played well, but missed some time with injury. The starting job is his at this point as Joseph Woll is away from the team for an indefinite period of time. Stolarz stole the crease in his first season in Toronto, providing some stability and consistency that had been missing for quite a while. Though he only played in 34 regular season games, he had a .926 save percentage and, according to Moneypuck, 25.8 goals saved above average. That number placed him fourth in the entire league, despite playing in far fewer games than those around him on that leaderboard.
With the salary cap skyrocketing over the foreseeable future, player contracts are expected to do the same. Essentially this deal pays Stolarz closer to a backup goalie than a starting goalie. This is an extremely good deal for the Leafs, who lock up a huge piece of their team for great value. Stolarz comes with some risk, as last season he set a career high with 34 games played.
Still, after putting together several strong seasons many thought Stolarz would be a more costly extension for the Leafs. With the indefinite absence of Woll, the Leafs will be leaning heavily on Stolarz to start the season. If he is able to stay healthy, he should have a career season that could make this extension look even better.
