Maple Leafs’ Stolarz and Nylander Address Locker Room Tension

After the recent overtime loss to the Seattle Kraken, Toronto Maple Leafs goaltender Anthony Stolarz didn’t waste time calling out his teammates for their lack of pushback and defense as he was barrelled over and had to stick up for himself in the defeat. The call out wasn’t publicly directed at any one particular player, but many linked William Nylander to the remarks, which required a conversation later between the two players.

Stolarz offered an update on the situation and noted:

“I pulled Willy aside, we had a conversation. He’s someone I admire and someone I respect deeply… he pushes me, I push him. We’re a family in here and we’re looking to push each other and get to our ultimate goal at the end of the day.” Nylander excels offensively but can struggle defensively, showing little physicality, inconsistent effort, and limited defensive awareness—issues that frustrate some fans.

Nylander was quick to also weigh in and shot down any potential speculation there might be beef between the two teammates. “It’s all good. Look, we’re teammates. He’s a great guy. There’s nothing that we need to, you know, talk about here. Yeah, he talked to me after and it’s all good. It’s been no issue since.”

Stolarz, known for being fiery, vocal, and unafraid to call it like he sees it. He is also aware that in Toronto, remarks like the ones he made catch attention. He acknowledged that his comments following the game—particularly regarding the overtime goal—required a private discussion so that nothing surfaced out of it.