The Toronto Maple Leafs need some certainty before the new season begins. With Joseph Woll taking a leave of absence, the spotlight turned to Anthony Stolarz.
Now, several insiders are reporting that the Maple Leafs have reached an agreement for an extension with the Stanley Cup Champion goaltender.
The extension will be for four years, valued at over $15 million, as per Kevin Weekes. He was the first insider to deliver the good news to Maple Leafs fans. His report also reveals that the extension will be largely in the form of signing bonuses.
Maple Leafs’ New Extension For Anthony Stolarz
Stolarz is in the final season of a two-year $2.5 million per season deal. Management wasn’t happy heading into the regular season with that kind of uncertainty.
In addition to Weekes reporting on the contract, another NHL insider, Chris Johnston, reported the new deal. His report stated that Stolarz’s new deal would be a four-year, $3.75 million-per-season contract.
The team has now made the new deal official with a press release. Stolarz was initially drafted 45th overall by the Philadelphia Flyers in 2012. He has played for the Edmonton Oilers, Anaheim Ducks, and Florida Panthers before arriving in Toronto.
Maple Leafs Have One of the Best Goalies in the NHL
To say that the Maple Leafs have a steal with signing Stolarz at $3.75 million per season is an understatement. Looking at the stats reveals that plainly.
According to NHL.com stats, Stolarz ranks high in most goalie categories. Last year, amongst all goalies who played at least 30 games, he ranks first in save percentage (.926), third in goals against average (2.14), ninth in shutouts (4), and 30th in wins (21).
On MoneyPuck, Stolarz ranks fourth in goals saved above expected (25.8) among all goalies who have played 30 or more games. The only goaltenders with a higher GSAx last year were Connor Hellebuyck of the Winnipeg Jets, Andrei Vasilevskiy of the Tampa Bay Lightning, and Logan Thompson of the Washington Capitals.
Brad Treliving Thinks Highly of Stolarz
The Maple Leafs GM thinks that Stolarz is a great goaltender. He’s willing to put his faith in the 31-year-old.
Earlier in September, Treliving made an appearance on the Real Kyper & Bourne show to discuss several different Maple Leafs topics. Chief among them was signing Stolarz to an extension.
“I’m confident that we can get something done, but I don’t look at it as a dire situation at all,” the GM said to the hosts on September 24. “I look at it as he’s poised to have a really good year. If we can get something that gets done before the season starts, and give us some certainty there, that would be my preference.”
“But if not, I know we’re going to have a really motivated player to go out and have a really good year.”
It’s clear that with Woll’s uncertainty, the temperature was increased to expedite the process. By offering Stolarz a fourth year on his extension, that brings him below what Elliotte Friedman was speculating in the last couple of weeks.
Maple Leafs Sign Impressive Eye-Opening Extension