You’re not insane if you believe Anthony Stolarz will save the Toronto Maple Leafs’ season. He is the answer to every issue we face. I don’t see a scenario in which the Toronto Maple Leafs defence fails, but perhaps I’m being overly optimistic at the moment. Chris Tanev and Oliver Ekman-Larsson have been excellent signings, but Stolarz has been even more remarkable.
Stolarz will look awful and give up five goals on some evenings, but I don’t think that will happen as frequently as we fear. Although this is only a sample of five games, it shouldn’t come as a great surprise. Stolarz finished with a very remarkable 16-7-2 record,.925 SV%, and 2.03 GAA on a very solid Florida Panthers club last season.
Stolarz demonstrated that when he has a strong core in front of him, he can produce respectable No. 1 keeper numbers. Even though he only started 27 games, his skill set was demonstrated, which is why the Leafs were so interested in him.
Despite having only played in 113 NHL games overall, Stolarz is 30 years old. I likened him (along with Joseph Woll) to the Boston Bruins duo of Linus Ullmark and Jeremy Swayman before the season began, with Stolarz and Ullmark serving as the analogy, and I believe it’s starting to come to pass.
According to that article, Ullman had only played in a little more than 100 NHL games and was never selected as a starter. Although he had previously produced strong results, he was never considered a top goaltender. But three years later, he suddenly becomes the Ottawa Senators’ starting goalie and earns $8.25 million.
Stolarz will be 32 years old when he becomes a UFA with a cap-hit of $2.5M AAV, and if he continues to do well, he will earn Ullmark money. Ullmark, who recently turned 31, has comparable NHL experience, a four-year contract for $33 million, and he will profit greatly if Stolarz can maintain his current level of play for two seasons.
Although I don’t think his 1.83 GAA and.938 SV% will last, there’s no reason to think his numbers won’t rank in the NHL’s top 10 or top 15, which is all the Leafs need. Although having a goalie in the top three would be ideal, the Leafs can still push for the Stanley Cup with mediocre or better goalie play.
The team cannot use Stolarz for 60 games, but he deserves to start for the most of the season at this stage. To be healthy for a postseason run, I believe he should start no more than 50 games.
I think it’s Stolarz’s net to lose, but I hope Joseph Woll can come back and the two can improve each other even more and start a goalie dispute.
Bravo to GM Brad Treliving on this signing, since I don’t say much. When Woll went down, Stolarz was just what this squad needed, and hopefully this isn’t a one-shot, because he appears like the genuine thing.
