Affordable and stable Maple Leafs goaltending sets a promising path forward

In the 2026-27 season there are ten goaltenders slated to make more than the combined cost of the Leafs tandem of Joseph Woll and Anthony Stolarz. The largely unproven Dustin Wolf makes just over the $7.416 million total of the Leafs tandem at $7.5M. Others like Thatcher Demko and Jeremy Swayman make more than the Leafs tandem as well and haven’t exactly made strong cases for being better options. Of the goaltenders more expensive than the Leafs tandem, the best case scenario was getting 63 games out of their goaltender, and the cheapest (read: least reliable) backups still cost around $1M a season.

The trend in salaries for goaltenders also seems to be escalating as demonstrated by the new contracts for Wolf, Dostal, Demko, and Spencer Knight. Stolarz and Woll both coming in under $4M is not a luxury we’ll see much in the coming years and Stolarz’ desire for the security of a payday to take him through the next four years involved money being left on the table, it’s safe to say that Brad Treliving was well aware of that leverage but also very likely had a Plan B if Stolarz was wanting to push the boundaries of free agency. It’s also safe to say that Anthony Stolarz enjoys being a Leaf and positive experiences in Toronto are finally helping the organization. Whatever the reasoning, the contract was good work and the Leafs are in a great cap situation in goal, but beyond the money and potentially strong duo in the short term, there are other benefits to the signing that serve the Leafs well.

No pressure on Hildeby or Akhtyamov

The Leafs have promising options on the Marlies that are worth exploring in the coming years and while both are encouraging prospects both need to put in their time and get the occasional NHL outing as situations permit.

The short term security in goal also opens up the possibility of dealing one of their goaltending prospects, one of the few meaningful trade assets the Leafs still possess while developing the other  netminder as the heir to the Leafs net.

The Stolarz contract at the very least ends the possibility of a scenario where Hildeby might have been the thrust into the position where he was the best backup option for Woll next season, now it can just be an exciting situation to watch to see if one of Hildeby or Akhtyamov can knock on the Leafs door, and perhaps make one of the two NHL goaltenders expendable.

Less pressure on Woll

Not knowing what is keeping Joseph Woll away from the Leafs or having any idea on when his potential return is coming doesn’t change the fact that there is no reason at this point to not see him as the longer term option for the Leafs in net. At 27 there is a lot more hockey in Joseph Woll than the 31 year old Stolarz, but the extension of Stolarz means that Woll is now limited by his own contract and the three years remaining on it, than having to grab the reins from Stolarz this season and show that the future is now in Leafs goal.

Woll was the workhorse last season but as the workload went up, his results dipped. He had a slow start and a weak finish and generally couldn’t match the consistency that the Leafs got from Stolarz. The two netminders worked well and generally the Leafs got what they needed from their goaltender no matter who was in net.

That doesn’t change that Woll could be Leafs goaltender far beyond his contract and show that he can be the 1A of this tandem or handle a starter’s workload. It’s just nice that the Leafs can enjoy their status quo for a while.

Expansion proof goaltending

One of the side effects of a new collective agreement between the players and the NHL is that league’s stability makes the time right for expansion. One of the guarantees of expansion is that the quality of goaltending around the league becomes diluted and even if you have a pretty decent starter like the Leafs did in the Golden Knights draft with Frederik Andersen, the ability to find a quality backup for him wasn’t available.

If you look at the Kraken expansion draft when Andersen began to struggle, goaltending became an ongoing thorn in the side of Kyle Dubas and the position became destabilized.

The Maple Leafs potentially carrying two quality goaltenders into expansion might point to one being on their way out but also points to the Leafs still having a league average or better option as the top part of their tandem as well as likely carrying an AHL goaltender who in the now diluted talent pool who starts looking like a capable NHL backup option.

Praise be to the Curtises

Credit where credit is due, Brad Treliving signed a great free agent goaltender in Anthony Stolarz and re-signed both Stolarz and Woll to contracts he should be proud of. Are credit to Joseph Woll for his strong breakout over the past few seasons and Stolarz proving that he really is as good as his numbers on the Stanley Cup Champion Panthers said he was. Credit to the Leafs scouts for finding off the radar goaltending prospects who are panning out well and credit to Hannu Toivonen for the work he does with the Marlies with Hildeby and Akhtyamov.

A lot of credit needs to sit with the two goaltending Curtises though. Curtis Sanford has been a breath of fresh air as the Leafs’ goaltending coach and bringing what he learned under goaltending guru Ian Clark and adding to it with his own strengths has been a huge part how Stolarz and Woll have excelled and fit into the system being played in front of them with such ease.

Curtis McElhenney seems like the best voice of reason when it comes to goaltending that the Leafs front office has ever had and his understanding of the position and what makes sense for the Leafs means that even if the Leafs do turnover their on ice personnel, the replacements will be well suited to the Leafs needs.

Sanford and McElhinney are two of the best front office investments the Leafs have made and have stabilized the most important position in the sport. The result is not only good and affordable goaltending now but likely in the future too.