Anthony Stolarz did the right thing by calling out Maple Leafs for their early showing

Toronto Maple Leafs goalie Anthony Stolarz should take a page out of the Florida Panthers’ book by apologizing to no one.

That’s because he was bang on with his critique of his team’s play after falling to the Seattle Kraken in overtime on Saturday. Stolarz’s rage was not merely about how the game went, but more a culmination of his grievances with how the Leafs had performed to begin the season. And he did not mince words when speaking with reporters about how he felt things went against the Kraken.

Stolarz was distraught with the lack of protection in his crease, which has become a point of contention amongst Leafs Nation since he suffered a concussion from a collision with Sam Bennett during Game 1 of the second-round series against the Panthers. The early returns during the regular season indicate that this issue has not been resolved, because there were multiple clips shown during the HNIC broadcast of the opposition crashing into the net with little to no resistance from his teammates.

The most egregious example occurred during the second period of Saturday night’s game, when Mason Marchment collided with Stolarz after getting a breakaway chance. Standing in the vicinity was Brandon Carlo, who did not react until after Stolarz started taking shots at Marchment. While Carlo said after the game that he was trying not to take a penalty since the Leafs were going to the power play, it was especially damning what he didn’t do because earlier that period, he battled with Jaden Schwartz in front and shoved him into Stolarz which led to a Seattle goal.

“I’m not happy. Guys are gonna run me and I’m gonna try to stand up for myself,” Stolarz said about getting hit by Marchment. “ I heard the refs say we got a power play and there’s really not much I can do to him on the ground.  Kudos to the guys who were there and got down with him, but  I think we gotta start going into the cage a little harder, make it harder for their goalies. It’s not fun. I don’t like having 225 pound guys landing on me, so hopefully we learn a lesson here.”

Stolarz was rightfully irate that opposing players keep crashing the net while the Leafs barely do the same in kind, an assessment that head coach Craig Berube agreed with. One would imagine that Stolarz would also not be happy that his teammates didn’t give enough of a damn to have his back when he got hit.

This is the same team that did not put up much of a fight when Easton Cowan got hit into the posts during his NHL debut against the Detroit Red Wings. One can understand the mantra of trying not to take a stupid penalty while in the middle of a scrum, but you can’t do anything when someone goes after one of your teammates. That is especially when it is your goalie, especially one who has had a history of concussions in the case of Stolarz. The lack of a response tells the rest of the NHL that you can be pushed around and won’t put up much resistance, so there is free rein on everyone from the depth players to the superstars.

Some may feel that it is too early to be critical of the Leafs ‘ performance to this point because their record sits at 3-2-1, and the loss to the Kraken was in OT so they got a point for their efforts. That is certainly true in isolation, but the bigger picture shows that there is still some serious work that needs to be done for the Leafs to play like the team they believe they are capable of. Crucially, they have set themselves to a high standard of demanding better for themselves, so they earned the harsh critique when it goes astray.

The mindset and mentality of the Leafs has to be one of a champion, in that they will stick up for one another and do what it takes to get the win. That means developing good habits early, playing the right way within the confines of the rules, and a sense of togetherness. You can roll through four lines and three pairs all you want, but if none of them can go to war for their brothers when in the heat of battle, then they won’t get very far when it counts.

Stolarz was right to call out his teammates because he knows that the Leafs are capable of so much better. Most of this group is months removed from pushing the eventual Stanley Cup champions to Game 7, and it’s not like they fluked their way to that result. They embraced the north-south playstyle that Berube preached, got heavier on the forecheck, and carried that to one of their best seasons in recent memory.

That sure does feel like ancient history with how things have gone in the early going, and things can get late pretty fast when it comes to the NHL. Stolarz pleaded for his team to have a better sense of urgency in playing a full 60-minute effort because they are dropping crucial points right now, saying, ‘Enough’s enough.’

If this Leafs team collectively wants to show that they are changing for the better, it starts with their play in front of the net on both sides of the ice. They need to do more to make life miserable for the opposition’s netminder, while making opposing players regret ever setting foot in the Leafs’ crease. It can’t be only for the next game, a week, or a month; it has to be a mindset that is embraced by the team throughout the season and beyond.

Protecting your cage goes a long way towards improving the mentality of sticking up for each other and ensures there is less chance of other NHL teams having open season on your teammates. Going to the net aligns with a heavy forecheck while increasing the odds of getting a goal since the opposing netminder will have a harder time stopping the puck. Failing to do either of these things while not working hard, and you get what transpired on Saturday.

Stolarz challenged his team to be better in front of the net and put the pedal to the metal. It’s up to the other 22 players to pick up the pace and answer their starter’s call to action.