The Toronto Maple Leafs signed Anthony Stolarz to a two-year deal last offseason to be part of a goalie tandem, but he took over as the starter.
Stolarz had his first chance to be a starter in the NHL, and he thrived. Yet, he now has one year left on his two-year, $5 million deal. He’s now eligible to sign an extension, and Maple Leafs analyst Steve Dangle believes Toronto should re-sign him, and it will come in around $4 million per season.
“I wonder how close, I don’t think it gets it done, but I wonder how close to getting it done Joseph Woll’s literal contract comes? Woll is three years, $3.66 (million per year). 4-something… I see an incentive for both parties to get it done,” Dangle said on SDPN. “If you are Stolarz, you could use the security because there’s no guarantee this goes well. You might get injured again, and what happens if Woll is really good? With the Leafs, with the cap, everyone’s number is going up, if he’s unreal, you are happy about that.”
Although Dangle believes the Maple Leafs should sign Stolarz to an extension, the analyst isn’t sure what the Maple Leafs think.
Instead, he points to Stolarz’s injury history and not being able to handle a starter’s load in his career as a potential reason why his salary won’t be as high as some think.
“He’s fascinating because he’s clearly unreal. Do you not have faith in him to play half a season? On the count, he’s never done it,” Dangle added.
Stolarz went 21-8-3 with a 2.14 GAA and a .926 SV% this past season with the Maple Leafs.
Analyst Urges Maple Leafs to Extend Stolarz ASAP
Although Stolarz did deal with injuries last season, including in the playoffs, when he’s healthy, he’s a star goalie.
With that, Dangle’s co-host, Jesse Blake, believes the Maple Leafs need to re-sign Stolarz. Blake believes a multi-year deal at $4.5 million per season should get it done.
“I would sign Anthony Stolarz tomorrow if his agent was willing to talk about it and discuss it and do a deal in that $4.5 million area. It’s smart business to get this done early,” Blake said. “There’s a situation where he’s the full-time starter. If that’s where they go, he could have a great season and command too much money. I’d lock him up right now because he’s a good goaltender. If you think someone is good and has that potential, just do it now.”
Stolarz missed the final six games of the Florida Panthers series due to a concussion.
Stolarz Suffered a Concussion in The Playoffs
During the second round of the playoffs, Stolarz was concussed in the opening game of the series.
Stolarz took a puck to the head that knocked his mask out. Yet, several minutes later, he took an elbow from Sam Bennett, which took him out.
After the series, Stolarz confirmed he got the concussion from the elbow and not the shot.
“I have taken a lot of pucks off my helmet in my career and felt fine,’’ Stolarz said. “The way I felt after that, I think it was another 45 minutes and I didn’t feel anything. It was after that incident that started feeling the symptoms.’’
Stolarz went 4-2 with a 2.19 GAA and a .901 SV%.
Analyst Shares Contract Prediction for Maple Leafs’ Star Goalie