This summer, the Leafs entered the off-season with two goals in mind; to make the blueliner better and to improve in the crease. They did both of those things, adding Chris Tanev, Oliver Ekman-Larsson and Jani Hakanpaa to the D corps, and signing Anthony Stolarz to a 2-year contract to step in and compliment Joseph Woll after a sensational 2023-24 campaign that culminated in a Stanley Cup win with the Florida Panthers.
Stolarz, from the earliest days of his tenure with the Leafs, had established that he and Woll intend to enjoy plenty of healthy competition for starts this season. His performance last night in Ottawa against the Senators certainly showed that he plans to follow through with that promise. The veteran netminder was calm and poised, and put his team in a great position to be able to win the game. Unfortunately, a lack of goal scoring was the difference, and the Leafs suffered a 2-1 loss.
Stolarz sported a brand new mask for the affair, going with a sensational blue, white and chrome theme, which really popped. Here are a few snaps of the mask:
Following the departure of Ilya Samsonov, who signed a deal with the Vegas Golden Knights this summer, the Leafs were in need of someone who could step in and really make a difference. Stolarz's numbers in recent years, especially last season, indicate that he can be a real difference maker for this team. The only question is, how many games can the Leafs squeeze out of him before exhaustion hits and the numbers take a bit of a dip?
Last season, Stolarz appeared in just 27 games for the Panthers, sporting a 2.03 GAA and a .925 SV%. If he can come anywhere close to those numbers this season in Toronto, his deal will already have paid for itself.
POLL | ||
25 SEPTEMBRE | 1055 ANSWERS Anthony Stolarz Unveils Incredible New Maple Leafs Goalie Mask Rate Anthony Stolarz's new mask for the Maple Leafs: | ||
1-3 | 111 | 10.5 % |
4-7 | 266 | 25.2 % |
8-9 | 458 | 43.4 % |
Perfect 10, no notes | 220 | 20.9 % |
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