Anthony Stolarz Confirms Significant Change Ahead of Contract Year With Maple Leafs
Photo credit: Dan Hamilton - Imagn Images
Leafs goaltender Anthony Stolarz has confirmed a significant off-season change he's made to prepare himself for a pivotal contract year in 2025-26.
If you asked anyone 4-5 years ago, where they thought Anthony Stolarz would be in his NHL career in 2025, not sure many people would have said he'd be a starting netminder for a playoff contender - perhaps not even the goaltender himself.
Despite the fact that he's led the league in save percentage in back to back seasons, his path to getting to this position was far from linear.
After several severe injuries at the start of his career in Philadelphia, the former 2nd round pick became a depth option at best, with a lot more time being spent the minors.
It wasn't until 2021-22 when he got more run in the NHL and started to post solid numbers across the board.
Between 2021 and 2024, Stolarz posted a 33-21-5 record with a .915 SV% and a 2.65 GAA, which helped his stock rise heading into the summer of 2024.
It was enough to convince the Leafs to bring him into the fold, whereupon he continued his run of dominant play with a 21-8-3 record, a 2.14 GAA, and a .926 SV%, despite battling through some injuries along the way.
However, after having to bow out of the playoffs due to a concussion, Stolarz made some significant changes to his off-season routine and is hoping that it makes a difference heading into his critical contract year.
"The biggest thing I've been focusing on this summer is getting as much cardio and strength into my body as I can. It's not ideal, but at the end of the day, I think it's made me a stronger person mentally -- just being able to overcome that adversity."
Additionally, understanding that he can't take things for granted, Stolarz has changed his mindset completely from where he was 5-6 years ago, and it's starting to pay off in a big way.
"Five or six years ago, people were counting me out, and maybe I was counting myself out at that time. Just being able to overcome that and be in the position I'm in now, I'm extremely grateful for that."
Health permitting, we could finally see Stolarz go beyond 40 games for the first time in his career and it would be perfect time to do it, considering he's due for a new contact next summer.
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