Should the Toronto Maple Leafs extend Anthony Stolarz?

As we hit the midpoint of the offseason, general manager Brad Treliving has made a number of trades and signings. The biggest being trading superstar Mitch Marner to the Vegas Golden Knights. With the logjam of bottom-six forwards, Treliving is likely not finished. However, this might also be a good opportunity to extend Anthony Stolarz beyond next year.

While Joseph Woll’s new three-year, $3.66M AAV contract starts this upcoming season, Stolarz’s contract expires after this year. With the salary cap increasing, does it make sense to extend Stolarz now? Let’s take a look!

Stolarz’s camp’s point of view

Before landing in Toronto, Stolarz backed up Sergei Bobrovsky in Florida, starting 27 games. Before Florida, Stolarz was with the Anaheim Ducks and started only 19 games in 2022–23. Before his four seasons with the Ducks, Stolarz largely played in the AHL. Even during his first season with the Ducks, Stolarz played 39 games with the San Diego Gulls.

Stolarz is entering his second year of a two-year, $2.5M AAV with the Leafs. Heading into next season, his contract looks like an absolute steal by Treliving. But his current contract makes sense because Stolarz was largely an unproven goaltender. And some would argue that he still is.

Regardless, after last season, Stolarz’s stock has obviously increased. The Toronto Maple Leafs had one of the best goaltending tandems in the entire NHL in 2024–25. They finished fourth in SV% with a .905%, which saw Stolarz and Woll start 76 games. Stolarz, in particular, had a fantastic year. He finished with a .926 SV% and a 2.14 GAA for first and third in the NHL, respectively.

Stolarz also proved that he can start more games and perform well doing so. He started seven more games than during his stint with the Panthers, and he reached a career high of 21 wins in the regular season. He also started a career high of seven games in the playoffs, posting four wins and two losses, with a 2.19 GAA and .901 SV%.

Stolarz is on his way towards a pay raise and a larger contract with the Leafs. However, there are still a couple of sticking points against Stolarz.

Leafs’ camp point of view

Assuming the upcoming season goes similarly to last season, Stolarz will undoubtedly make more than his current $2.5M AAV. However, the question becomes by how much and for how long? Stolarz will be 32 at the end of next season, not exactly young. He also has a recent injury history. He missed two months during the regular season to receive knee surgery, and was concussed in Game 1 against the Panthers in the second round this past season. Whether there will be any lingering effects from the concussion remains to be seen.

As for recent goalie signings, Lukas Dostal is an interesting contract. He signed a five-year, $6.5M AAV deal earlier this month. Dostal is only 25 years old and has started 44 and 54 games over the last two seasons. Clearly, Dostal is the starting goaltender and the future of the Ducks. Whereas on the Leafs, Stolarz is a tandem goaltender and has started 10–20 more games than Dostal. 

If we assume Dostal’s contract is the absolute “max” in terms of term and dollar amount, no matter what season Stolarz has next year, he wouldn’t command close to that AAV. Even if Stolarz plays 50-60 games next season, he does not have a history of being a starter.

The other factor is playing time. Unless Woll, who is already 27 years old and has an injury history, takes huge developmental strides, the Maple Leafs could very well end up in a tandem situation for the next several years. Stolarz would probably value more playing time over maximum dollar being a backup, which is what he was in his limited NHL career.

When should a deal be made?

Obviously, with the salary cap increasing, the Leafs would prefer to sign him sooner rather than later. This locks up the Leafs’ goaltending situation for several years and provides cost certainty heading into the rising salary cap era. However, this goes both ways. Perhaps from Stolarz’s perspective, given the cap is increasing, he may be worth more on the open market and be more willing to test the waters.

If and when a deal gets reached likely depends on whether Stolarz wants to negotiate or bet on himself and try to land a larger contract after next season. But assuming the Maple Leafs and Stolarz want to negotiate, I can’t see there being significant issues. I wouldn’t be surprised if Stolarz is not extended before the start of the season, but I would be surprised if he is not extended before the trade deadline.

Given Stolarz’s age, I think he would want a 2–3 year term, but the AAV would probably be in the $3-4M range. I think this is fair concerning the term and dollar amount, given this would likely be Stolarz’s last NHL contract.

But what do you think? Should the Leafs extend Stolarz now? If so, for what term and AAV? Leave a comment below!