Toronto's Anthony Stolarz is coming off a career year. The 31 year old vet in his first season with the Maple Leafs was a pleasant surprise, performing as one of the NHL's top goaltenders last season.
In 34 games, Stolarz registered a 21-8-3 record with a 2.14 GAA and .926 SP%. He also recorded 4 shutouts in what was an injury shortened season for him. The Maple Leafs missed Stolarz's services in the 2nd round of the playoffs vs Florida as he went down with another injury after contact with the Panthers Sam Bennett.
Toronto's next order of business should be locking up Stolarz for the future as he has proven himself as a starter they can rely on in net, something they have not had in a while.
What is the latest on Stolarz?
Stolarz will be due a new contract after this season as he enters his second year in Toronto. Via insider David Pagnotta, Stolarz and the Leafs have initiated contract extension talks.
Considering Stolarz is now eligible to sign a contract extension, Toronto should get this done sooner rather than later. He and backup Joseph Woll have formed one of the top tandems in the NHL as goaltending has become a rare position of strength for the Maple Leafs. Not all teams have both a 1A and 1B goalie they can trust on a consistent night by night basis.
It will be interesting to see what the Stolarz contract looks like term and value wise. He will likely be due a significant raise from his current $2.5 million a year deal.