Originally signed as a backup, goaltender Anthony Stolarz came in and outlived his expectations throughout the 2024-25 NHL season.
As a result, rumblings for his potential contract extension are only getting louder and louder by the minute. Stolarz concluded his first year with the Toronto Maple Leafs, featuring a 21-8-3 regular-season record across 34 appearances in the crease. He backed this with a .926 save percentage and a goals against average of 2.14. With his current contract expiration looming, he should be considered a steal for $2.5 million.
As such, it appears the Maple Leafs might be forced to give Stolarz quite the contract.
Former NHL Goaltender Chimes in on Stolarz’s Worth
Carter Hutton was a league netminder from 2012 until his retirement with the Arizona Coyotes in 2022. He appeared on a FanDuel show on Tuesday, noting his thoughts on what Stolarz could be looking at monetarily in the future.
“I think for him, honestly, if he’s in that $5-$6 million range that would be my ticket but that seems like a number they’re giving out to every goalie. You look at the [Kevin] Lankinen deal, you look at Mackenzie Blackwood, obviously the ages are a bit different … But for Stolarz, you’re already betting on yourself,” Hutton said on Fanduel’s OverDrive.
“We see a lot of younger players now taking short term deals, betting on themselves … but you dangle $25 milllion, $30 million in front of him [and] I don’t see how he turns that down.”
“The $5-6 million AAV range would my ticket.”@CarterHutton4 forecasts Anthony Stolarz’s next contract and the amount of value on the deal moving forward. #LeafsForever pic.twitter.com/mBT8fnNpDd
— OverDrive (@OverDrive1050) July 9, 2025
It appears to Hutton (who has experience with five different league franchises) that Stolarz should be allowed a deal in the $25-30 million range.
However, it is worth mentioning that there should be debate on whether Toronto rewards a breakout performance or wait for long-term consistency from Stolarz before giving him a deal that reaches a dollar figure of such significance.
I love Stolarz and what he brings to the Leafs, that said if his ask begins at over $4 million per season, I will walk away with my head held high. I’m not banking on a goalie entering his 33 year old season on a long-term deal with a big ticket price. https://t.co/CGGdxwyGTC
— Jay on Leafs (@JayOnLeafs) July 9, 2025
Joseph Woll, the starter over Stolarz, finished the year with a 2.74 GAA and a .910 SV% across 78 games played. Woll signed a three-year, $11 million contract with the Leafs that includes an AAV of around 3.6 million. In 2025-26, he will earn a base salary of $3 million and a signing bonus of $1 million while carrying a cap hit of $3,666,667, whether he remains the starter over Stolarz or not.
