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Goaltender Anthony Stolarz hopes he and the Maple Leafs can work out a long-term extension before the 2025-26 season begins because he doesn’t want any distractions.
“Our ultimate goal is to win the Stanley Cup,” Stolarz said. “Once the season starts, that’s all I want to focus on, that’s where I want my attention to be.
“I’ll let my agent (Allain Roy) and Tre (Leafs GM Brad Treliving) talk that out and hopefully we can get something done here soon.”
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Stolarz made his comments Thursday, after the team’s first on-ice workouts at the Ford Performance Centre. Treliving had hinted Wednesday that the two sides were close. The news could drop any moment.
It promises to be a good deal for both sides, with the 31-year-old Stolarz — heretofore a journeyman backup — getting his biggest payday and first job security since being drafted in 2012 by the Philadelphia Flyers.
The Leafs will get a Grade-A goaltending tandem — Joseph Woll is signed for three years — at what could be a reasonable price, which is always a win in a salary cap league. Woll is starting the first year of his three-year deal that pays him $3.67 million (U.S.) a year. Stolarz is finishing a two-year deal at $2.5 million a year and probably will sign in the $5 million-a-year range.
It would work if both goalies can continue to produce the way they did last year, their first as a tandem, when they each set career highs for games played and wins. Stolarz won 21 of the 34 games he played, sitting at an elite .926 save percentage.
“I know I’m a good goalie and I know that what I did last year is a high bar. And I’m looking forward to matching up this year,” said Stolarz.
Woll won 27 of the 42 games he played. His save percentage, .909, levelled off as he played more when Stolarz was injured.
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“We’re both really confident. I think the way our team is structured, the way we play, it definitely helps goalies,” said Stolarz. “But at the same time, both of us have shown that we can carry the ball for a little bit. We can make big saves. We can steal games.
“Regardless who’s in net, I think the team has confidence that on any given night we can get two points.”
Coach Craig Berube is quite happy with having his tandem, pointing out that neither have played 50 games in a season.
“I’m not saying that they’re not going to or that they can’t, but they’ve never done that,” said Berube. “Last year went pretty smooth, with how many starts in a row (one had) and then the other guy. That’s going to play itself out.
“But I’m comfortable with the tandem. It’s important to have two guys that can get in the net and do the job.”
Woll had signed his extension last year before training camp began. He believes that knowing the team had faith in him, and had committed to him, made a significant difference.
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“When it’s in the back of your head that the organization has faith in you, you’re not thinking about contracts,” said Woll. “You’re just going out and playing. Not for your next deal. You’re playing to learn and playing to get better.”
Woll’s busiest stretch came mid-season, playing 17 of 23 games with Stolarz out. When Stolarz came back, he was the busier goalie — playing eight of 10 at one point to get ready for the playoffs.
“We both had times throughout last year where we were carrying the load,” said Woll. “It was really awesome to learn what it takes to take care of yourself mentally and physically to play a lot of games. I was proud of what I learned and how I worked through that.”
The two are comfortable with each other, and Stolarz in particular is comfortable in the spotlight in Toronto.
“I’m just a laid-back guy,” he said. “I look at it as playing in the best men’s league in the world. So I get to play in front of 20,000 fans every night. It’s all you can ask for.”
