Anthony Stolarz signed a two-year, $5 million contract with the Toronto Maple Leafs on Tuesday. It has an average annual value of $2.5 million.
The 30-year-old goalie was 16-7-2 with two shutouts in 27 regular-season games (24 starts) for the Florida Panthers last season and led the NHL with a 2.03 goals-against average and .925 save percentage (minimum, 25 games).
“I’m super excited,” Stolarz said Wednesday. “It’s an historic organization and I know a few of the guys on the team already so the transition will be nice. There’s an opportunity I felt. In Florida, I kind of knew my role as a backup whereas here, (Joseph) Woll and I are going to be competing for starts and as a goalie, that’s all you can ask for.”
Stolarz allowed three goals on 19 shots in one relief appearance in the playoffs for the Panthers, who won the Stanley Cup.
“If you look at his career, he’s played as a backup to some top-level goaltending, so there wasn’t a lot of net there,” Maple Leafs general manager Brad Treliving said Tuesday. “There wasn’t going to be a lot of starts. He’s big, he’s athletic. I think goaltenders as we all know they take some time to mature in their game. I think he’s done that.
“I think he’s been, obviously, around an elite-level goalie in [Sergei] Bobrovsky. The experience he’s gone through, although he’s not in the net but he’s been on a real good team this past season. He’s been through those experiences, but just really technically sound.”
On Monday, the Maple Leafs re-signed Woll to a three-year contract which begins with the 2025-26 season.
“Only one of us can play and you want to get as many starts as you can,” Stolarz said. “When my name is called, I want to go in there and kind of seize the opportunity but at the same time too, when I’m not, I pride myself on being a good teammate. I’m going to support Woll and push him throughout the year.”
Stolarz said he had a whirlwind week. After winning the Cup with the Panthers on June 24, the Panthers had their parade on Sunday and free agency opened Monday.
“Everything happened so fast,” he said. “Obviously we won and then had those couple days where you are just hanging out with the guys and because of the Draft (on Thursday and Friday), our parade was pushed to Sunday and free agency opened up on Monday so it was a pretty quick turnaround to have to go from being in Florida to picking a team in a quick 24 hours there.”
Selected by the Philadelphia Flyers in the second round (No. 45) of the 2012 NHL Draft, Stolarz is 43-31-9 with a 2.69 GAA, .915 save percentage and eight shutouts in 108 regular-season games (83 starts) for the Panthers, Anaheim Ducks, Edmonton Oilers and Flyers.
“[The Maple Leafs are] a high-powered offense,” Stolarz said. “Every time you look up and down that lineup, they’re always a threat to score. They’re some of the best players in the world. I’m looking forward to having those guys on my side.”
