Maple Leafs and Anthony Stolarz Have Reportedly Hit a Snag in Extension Negotiations
Photo credit: Marc DesRosiers | Imagn Images
According to TSN's Chris Johnston, the Maple Leafs and goaltender Anthony Stolarz have hit a bit of a snag in attempts to negotiate an extension for the 31-year-old.
Members of the Maple Leafs have been busy over the past few days, with the team's rookies participating in the Rookie Showcase in Montreal and the rest of the players taking part in the annual 'Leafs and Legends' charity golf tournament on Monday.
Behind the scenes, the Leafs and Anthony Stolarz have been doing their best to work out an extension ahead of the regular season.
On Monday, reports surfaced suggesting that the Leafs would be most comfortable with an extension that is three or four years for the former second-round pick and that, realistically, makes sense for both sides.
That being said, there has been speculation that the dollar amount was going to cause issues in getting a deal done quickly, given that a number of goalies have signed significant deals this offseason, altering the market for goaltenders.
Maple Leafs and Anthony Stolarz Appear Far Apart on the Dollar Amount
On Tuesday morning on TSN 1050's 'First Up', respected NHL Insider Chris Johnston revealed that the Leafs are hoping to lock up Stolarz for a dollar amount far less than what other goalies have signed for over the summer, citing concerns across the league about locking into bad, long-term contracts with the rising cap.
"My belief is it probably lands somewhere between a 3 and 4-year deal. Term-wise, that's bang on. The tricky part is the money. I don't know if it gets up into the fives or sixes. Realistically, I think it's more in that $3.7 million range, maybe a little above."
Stolarz, who appeared on 'Leafs' Morning Take' on Tuesday, was also asked about negotiations where he explained that it was more about being paid fairly than it was about breaking any records.
"Being paid fairly, a number that allows the team to win but also shows that they believe in me."
The biggest issue standing between the two sides and a common dollar is that Stolarz has very limited action as a true number one goalie, playing a career-high of only 34 games last season. In comparison, Calgary Flames netminder Dustin Wolf played in 53 games in his first full NHL season and inked a 7-year, $52.5M extension a few weeks ago.
Given Stolarz's limited play-time as a number one, it is hard to assess what 'fair' is as he doesn't have any direct comparable. Now that training camp is set to begin, the Leafs and Stolarz will have to determine if they want to continue negotiating to get something done now, continue talk during the season, or play out the year and re-visit discussions at season's end.
| POLL | ||
SEPTEMBRE 16 | 1526 ANSWERS Maple Leafs and Anthony Stolarz Have Reportedly Hit a Snag in Extension Negotiations Where do you think the Leafs and Stolarz land dollar-wise? | ||
| $3.7M to $4M | 221 | 14.5 % |
| $4.1M to $4.5M | 509 | 33.4 % |
| $4.6M to $5M | 613 | 40.2 % |
| $5M+ | 183 | 12 % |
| List of polls | ||
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