The Toronto Maple Leafs had to make a big move, and they did so on the second Sunday of the preseason. Today it was announced goaltender Anthony Stolarz signs a four-year contract extension with the club. This will make him a free agent in the summer of 2030, as he was already under contract for the upcoming 2025-26 NHL season. The contract carries with it an annual average value of $3.75 million. Let’s find out why this deal makes so much sense from an individual and team perspective.
Anthony Stolarz is signing a four-year extension with the #leafs carrying a $3.75M AAV
First to report: @KevinWeekes
— Chris Johnston (@reporterchris) September 28, 2025
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Anthony Stolarz Signs With Leafs Until 2030
The move comes on the heels of the Leafs being down to one NHL goaltender. Joseph Woll has recently gone on a leave of absence from the club. His timetable for return remains uncertain. Yes, Dennis Hildeby does have six games of NHL experience, but that’s hardly enough when you consider yourself a team engineered for a deep Stanley Cup playoff run. Since that happened they brought back a familiar face on a professional tryout. James Reimer is back in Toronto, but it is hard to know for how long. If he does well in his audition, maybe he can become the Leafs third stringer.
But that’s not what we are here to discuss exactly. The Leafs made a move today to give a bode of confidence to their starting netminder. Signing the 31-year-old until the summer of 2030. Moreover, maybe he didn’t quite get how much money he wanted, but it is a very important contract, from an organizationally standpoint. It doesn’t run up the team’s spending and allows to renew, say for instance Joseph Woll when the time comes. In addition, it would’ve been difficult to justify for a player of Stolarz’s age, with only 142 games of NHL experience under his belt much more annual salary.
So, it speaks to two aspects about Stolarz. The first, is that he will be in the running to be the Toronto Maple Leafs starting goalie until he’s 36. Furthermore, Stolarz put his team first, and took a little less than he probably could’ve commanded on the open market.
Stolarz stats are quite impressive, and why he is the Leafs starter. He led the entire NHL with a .926 save percentage. Also, his career save percentage is a very impressive .917. His career regular season record is 64-39-12, with 12 shutouts, and a decent 2.55 goals-against average. With only four career playoff wins under his belt, this contract gives him opportunity to grow that number by a lot.
Main Photo Credit: Stephen R. Sylvanie-Imagn Images
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