Anthony Stolarz is quickly becoming a household name in Toronto.
The Maple Leafs goaltender is off to a blazing start to the season, posting a 3-2-0 record, along with a 1.84 goals-against average, and .938 save percentage. His strong play is starting to make some noise around the NHL.
On the latest episode of Daily Faceoff Live, Tyler Yaremchuk, Colby Cohen, and ex-NHL goaltender Carter Hutton discussed Stolarz and his impressive start, and why Toronto was on his radar as a free-agent destination last offseason.
Yaremchuk: “Goalies never really develop in a straight line, and that’s certainly the case for Anthony Stolarz. You look at his career, stops in Philly, Edmonton, and Anaheim, before really putting it together in Florida. Gets the big-money deal in Toronto, and he’s off to a good start, but he’s never played more than 28 times in a season.”
“I know Joseph Woll is dealing with the injuries right now, but when you look at Stolarz, and you look at the amount Toronto paid him as well, is he a guy, at 30 years old who can handle his first 45-plus start season? Or, do you think he’s just better in that 1-B? Or, do you think he will rise to the occasion?”
Hutton: “For Stolarz, at his age, you never know, these are the unknowns. And I think with Joseph Woll, and I also think with Anthony Stolarz and why he went to Toronto, is knowing the situation with Woll and where he was at, that there was potential for this or when he got the keys to the castle, to struggle with it.”
“Stolarz has been great so far. Even in the last game, losing to the Rangers, he played very well in that game. The one goal was a back-door tap-in by (Chris) Kreider, and the other one (Alexis) Lafreniere made a great shot on that play. And, in his other loss in Montreal, he was arguably the best player on the rink. And in his two losses, they only have one goal for. So, this guy has been rock solid for them.”
STOLIE STOLE ONE 🫢🚓 pic.twitter.com/83WWREcuYr
— Toronto Maple Leafs (@MapleLeafs) October 22, 2024
As Hutton mentions, it’s tough to win any hockey game when your team can’t find the scoresheet, so even with two losses to his name, Stolarz has been lights out so far this season. To start his Maple Leafs’ tenure, he’s allowed just nine goals in five games.
Stolarz signed in Toronto because he wanted an opportunity to win a starting gig. So far this season, he’s making winning look easy.
