Maple Leafs star makes bold contract demand, but deal not yet close

The Toronto Maple Leafs are working on extending the contract of their starting goalie, Anthony Stolarz, and the New Jersey native made a bold declaration about his expectations for a potential new deal.

Stolarz, 31, stated that he wants “just getting paid fairly” in a conversation with Leafs Morning Take.

“Something that helps the team but at the same time, shows they believe in me. I will leave that to the agent and (Brad) Treliving, and for me, it’s about going out there and continuing to do what I do,” said Stolarz.

The goalie surpassed all expectations in his first year with Toronto, and according to insider reports, although the talks for his contract extension are underway, the involved parties are still far from reaching an agreement.

Anthony Stolarz engaged in contract talks, but sides remain far apart

Specifically, David Pagnotta recently reported that there is still a lot of work to be done to close a new contract for Stolarz.

“Contract talks are ongoing between the Toronto Maple Leafs and goalie Anthony Stolarz, but there is plenty of work to be done. They aren’t close to a deal,” Pagnotta explained.

On the other hand, Kevin Weekes confirmed that the negotiations have begun, without specifying what the status of these is, or if they are progressing positively.

The Leafs' GM, Brad Treliving, previously confirmed the interest in keeping Stolarz and even praised the goalie, highlighting his immediate impact and the performance of his duo with Joseph Woll, considering them one of the best tandems in the NHL last season.

Stolarz signed a two-year contract with Toronto for around $5 million. That said, his statistics in his first year suggest that a salary increase is not at all far-fetched: 21-8-3, 2.14 GAA, .926 SV%.