Maple Leafs goaltender Anthony Stolarz continues to prove himself as the best free-agent signing of the offseason, and one of the very best goaltenders in the NHL.
On Tuesday against the New Jersey Devils, Stolarz had his best performance of the season. The Leafs came out extremely flat from the opening puck drop, and not only did Stolarz stand tall early and often, but there were multiple saves throughout all three periods, and overtime, that were absolute 10-bell saves.
Stolarz stopped 38 of 39 shots against the Devils, leading the Leafs to a 2-1 overtime victory. He increased his now league-leading save percentage to .928 through his 16 appearances, and if it wasn’t for the fact he hasn’t played as much as the likes of Connor Hellebuyck of the Winnipeg Jets, and Filip Gustavsson of the Minnesota Wild, Stolarz would be the run-away favorite right now to win the Vezina trophy as the best goaltender in the league.
While the Maple Leafs are getting a first-hand look at the late bloomer finding his form, the 30-year-old Stolarz is starting to put the rest of the league on notice. After his impressive performance against the Devils, former Maple Leafs head coach Sheldon Keefe wasn’t shy when asked about his thoughts on Toronto’s netminder. “Best goaltending in the league on the other side of the ice tonight,” Keefe said via Sportsnet’s Luke Fox.
Stolarz cellys watching the goal pic.twitter.com/VO3k9Ex67Y
— Omar (@TicTacTOmar) December 11, 2024
The best part about Stolarz’s performance against the Devils was the fact it was in front of his friends and family, as he had a group of 40 cheering him on. Stolarz is a native of Jackson NJ, and while he may have been a little bit disappointed he didn’t get named to Team USA for the 4 Nations Face-Off recently, having potentially the game of his life in front of the ones he loves is likely a decent consolation prize for the time being.
Stolarz has fit in seamlessly with the Maple Leafs this season, and especially with his tandem partner, Joseph Woll. Huge props to GM Brad Treliving for seeing this duo approach through and finding Woll a well-suited partner, who also happens to be on the best contract in the league at just $2.5 million AAV for this season and next. It gives the Leafs’ GM a ton of flexibility to focus his attention on upgrading the depth up front before the March 7 trade deadline. Needless to say, the Leafs’ goaltending is set for the foreseeable future.
Stolarz deserves a ton of credit for his success over the past couple of seasons. He’s dealt with a ton of adversity, with untimely injuries, limited opportunities, and teams giving up on him, and for him to find a home under the bright lights in Toronto, is quickly becoming the best chapter of his hockey career, so far. Stolarz has the perfect personality to handle the pressure of being between the pipes for the Maple Leafs, he’s calm, cool, and collected, he loves to have a ton of fun both on and off the ice, and when it’s time to bare down and carry his team on his back, on the road, after losing two straight games, against the team’s former coach, Stolarz is up to the challenge, and so much more.
The Maple Leafs have the best goaltending duo in the league, who are also the most affordable at just $3.2 million against the cap. With Woll going down earlier in the year, it allowed for Stolarz to prove to the Leafs that he’s up for the challenge, and capable of providing the team with the confidence they need to learn Craig Berube’s system on the fly while having someone to lean on as the last line of defence.
