Neither the player (who has never wielded so much leverage) nor the team (who is suddenly desperate for some goaltending stability) wanted extension talks to drag into the 2025-26 season, after which Stolarz would have become an unrestricted free agent.
So, after weeks of negotiations, Stolarz and general manager Brad Treliving came to an agreement on a four-year, $15-million extension that will keep the giant goaltender in blue and white through 2029-30 at a team-friendly $3.75-million cap hit.Â
“Just getting a fair deal for both sides,†Stolarz told Sportsnet at the outset of training camp, was the priority here.
The Maple Leafs are doubling the term of Storlazâ€s previous contract while giving him a modest $1.25 million raise. The risk here is that a 31-year-old goaltender with a shaky health record who has never started half the games in a single season can carry a starterâ€s workload.
The risk on Stolarzâ€s part is settling for a figure lower than he would be able to command on the open market should he deliver another campaign similar to 2024-25, when he posted the best save percentage in the NHL (.926).
Neither side wanted to mess up a good thing.
The team loves the goalie who backstopped them to a Round 1 victory over Ottawa, complete with a forearm shiver; the goalie loves the team that gave him runway and shot blocks and top-notch medical care.
“I thought it was a huge success,†Stolarz said, reflecting on his first season as a Leaf. “For me personally, just being able to play (a career-high 34) games and get the role as 1A/1B and play stretches of games and to play as well as I did.
“The most impressive thing for me was my consistency, just being going out there, night in and night out, and taking a lot of pride and really giving the team a chance to win.â€
Off the ice, the confident and vocal Stolarz fast became a favourite of his teammates as well as Torontoâ€s coaching staff and management.
“I want him to stay as long as I stay. Everybody does. Heâ€s a great goaltender, and I wish nothing for the best for him,†forward Steven Lorentz said a couple days before Sundayâ€s news.
“He truly wants to stay here as well. Heâ€s a great friend of mine. I know heâ€s going to make the right decision.â€
“Heâ€s one of the best goalies in the league, and he showed it last year,†fellow Stanley Cup champ Oliver Ekman-Larsson said recently. “Itâ€s a really good fit for this organization, this city.
“That would mean a lot to lock him up. He’s been proving that he can be a good goalie in this league, and I think he’s gonna take that to the next level this year.â€
Stolarz is expected to start Torontoâ€s opener next week against the Montreal Canadiens.
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