After partying oceanside in the sideways rain and guzzling from sport’s most spectacular and potable prize Sunday on Fort Lauderdale’s A1A — Beachfront Avenue! — goaltender Anthony Stolarz woke up to an urgent phone meeting with Allain Roy.
The agent had a list of teams interested in the unrestricted free agent.
“Going from the parade, you’re riding a pretty nice high, celebrating your teammates,” Stolarz said Wednesday over Zoom.
“Monday morning, early on, my agent gave me a call, and was like, ‘All right, we’re going to do this. How do you feel about it?’ And I was super confident and super happy, and I’m just looking forward to getting to Toronto and getting the ball rolling here.”
The newest member of the Toronto Maple Leafs‘ always in-flux goaltending tandem — which seems to bring in one new face for each season of contention — projects happiness and confidence in his first meeting with his new market’s press corps.
And why wouldn’t he?
Not only is Stolarz a newly minted Stanley Cup champion, he is also coming off career highs in starts (24), wins (16), goals-against average (2.03), and just signed the richest contract of his life.
When Leafs GM Brad Treliving offered the 30-year-old journeyman a two-year, $5-million payday to move north, Stolarz didn’t bother running by the idea by the friends he’s leaving in South Florida.
“I imagine a lot of guys were probably hung over that Monday morning too, after the parade,” he says. “It was just kind of what’s best for me and my family. And I love the opportunity that Toronto gave me, everything that they kind of sold me on. I’m looking forward to getting there and doing great things for this organization.”
From Treliving’s standpoint, the GM had struck out on A-level goaltenders available in trade, like Jacob Markstrom, and saw more value in Stolarz at a $2.5-million cap hit than, say, Laurent Brosssoit, who signed in Chicago for $3.3 million per year.
From Stolarz’s point of view, the goalie has much greater odds of competing for increased ice time behind 25-year-old starter Joseph Woll than he ever had as a clear No. 2 behind established workhorses like Sergei Bobrovsky, Carter Hart, and John Gibson.
“If you look at his career, he’s played as a backup to some top-level goaltending. So, there’s not a lot of net there, right? There wasn’t going to be a lot of starts,” Treliving said. “He’s big (six-foot-six, 243 pounds). He’s athletic. I think goaltenders, as we all know, they take some time to mature in their game. He’s done that.
“So, as we looked around the market, Anthony really was a player that we focused in on. We were happy to get a deal done.”
Off the ice, Stolarz should fit in seamlessly.
Those who have worked with him in past stops describe him a happy-go-lucky type that strikes a nice balance between competitive yet supportive of his partner. And Stolarz arrives only as a stranger to some, having previously shared a dressing room with new D-man Dakota Mermis and Max Domi in OHL London and Jani Hakanpää and Simon Benoit in AHL San Diego.
Coincidentally, Stolarz’s most recent start came against Toronto, a 5-2 win on April 16. Since then, Bobrovsky seized full control of the crease for the duration of the Florida Panthers’ championship run.
But Stolarz trained throughout June with goalie guru Rob Tallas in case his number got called, and Bobrovsky’s work ethic rubbed off.
“I like to pride myself on working hard, but he went above and beyond — getting out early, staying late after practice, doing lifts, doing his stretching and his routines. He was always consistent when it came to that. He was one helluva teammate. I’m going to miss him,” Storlaz says.
“But at the end of the day, he’s on the dark side now.”
Indeed, Stolarz arrives with a friendly strut.
He’s already referring to Toronto’s 1A as “Woller,” yet he’s aware than his fellow American fell injured before the Maple Leafs’ final game and has yet to carry a full starter’s workload.
“In Florida, I kind of knew my role as a backup. Whereas here, Woller and I are going to be competing for starts. And as a goalie, that’s all you can ask for,” Stolarz said.
“Only one of us can play. And you want to get as many starts as you can. So, when my name is called, I want to go in there and seize the opportunity. But at the same time, too, when I’m not, I pride myself in being a good teammate. And I’m going to support Woller and push him throughout the year.”
A few people we’ve spoken to believe Stolarz — now entering his ninth NHL campaign — is “a solid career backup.” (Heck, not unlike the two men in Leafs HQ, Curtis Sanford and Curtis McElhinney, who vouch that Stolarz’s technical prowess backs up his .925 save percentage in Florida.)
A guy capable of stealing points on the sleepy half of a back-to-back, during a starter’s injury stretch, or in mop-up work. Every club needs a goalie to do that job well.
But to Stolarz’s credit, the man himself isn’t placing limits on the impact he can make in a high-pressure Toronto market during these two seasons.
“I’ll be able to handle it just fine. I’m a pretty laid-back guy,” Stolarz says.
“There’s never a doubt in my ability. I know that I’m one of the best in the world, and I’m looking forward to the opportunity. I’m excited. I’ve heard nothing but great things about the fan base. It’s a very hungry and passionate fan base.”
Stolarz’s winding goaltending journey began in Edison, New Jersey, where he’ll take the Cup for a bash this summer.
It has winded through Corpus Christi, Texas; the University of Nebraska-Omaha; London, Ont.; Lehigh Valley, Reading, and Philadelphia, Penn.; Edmonton, Alta.; San Diego and Anaheim, Calif.; Sunrise, Fla.; and has landed him in the mecca.
Hey, you don’t survive a career trek like that without a smile and a belief.
“Never take things for granted. You know, it’s obviously a privilege to play in this league. And every time you step on the ice, you get to look around, you’re playing in front of 20,000 fans. So, it’s something that, I smile every time I’m on the ice and just try to enjoy myself,” Stolarz says.
“I love the competitive edge. I love winning games. I think going to Florida and having that taste of playing into April and May — that was a factor in me deciding to go to Toronto, just being able to go to a competitive team, because it’s what you want.
“At the end of the day, you want to be the best. And I think going to the best hockey market in the world is a challenge for me. I’m excited to get there and get it going.”
