Leafs' Anthony Stolarz Coming to Camp with a Chip on His Shoulder: 'There's Unfinished Business'

A concussion in Game 1 of the second round thanks to an elbow from former teammate Sam Bennett, ended Anthony Stolarz's playoffs abruptly and forced the Leafs to turn to Joseph Woll for the final six games of the series.

While Woll did an admirable job, many called the loss of the 31-year-old Stolarz the turning point in the series.

For Stolarz, who has yet to begin extension talks with the Leafs, the sudden end to his post-season is what is fueling him for the upcoming season.

Stolarz is currently in New Jersey training with his goaltending coach, George Bosak, who shared a clip of Stolarz in action this week, confirming that the first thing Stolarz told him when he arrived was "there's unfinished business on the table."

The former second-round pick not only missed the majority of the second round for the Leafs last season, but also missed almost a couple of months in the middle of the season due to a knee injury that required surgery. That didn't slow the 6-foot-6 netminder down, however, as he picked up where he left off upon his return.

In 34 games, Stolarz posted a 21-8-3 record to go along with 4 shutouts, a 2.14 GAA and ridiculous .926 save percentage, earning every dollar and more of his $2.5M salary and giving the Leafs one of the best tandems in the entire league.

With a chip on his shoulder and playing for a new contract, the Leafs are hoping that Stolarz continues his strong play from last season and that it wasn't just lightning in a bottle that he caught in 2024-25.