The last several seasons have seen the Toronto Maple Leafs roster some dynamic offensive firepower lending itself as potential Stanley Cup favorites but ultimately faltering due to lack of goaltending consistency and defensive depth. This offseason, Toronto caught my attention with the signing of goaltender Anthony Stolarz to a two-year deal worth $2.5 million annually. Coming into the 24-25 season, Stolarz and Joseph Woll will be the tandem in goal for the blue and white, a significant upgrade from the past season. Anthony Stolarz is coming off of a campaign year in Florida where he shared the net with Sergei Bobrovsky. In 27 games played, Stolarz finished with a record of 16-7-2 while leading the league in save percentage (92.5%), GAA (2.03), and GSAE (.801 goals above expected per 60 minutes). Out of those 27 games, he tallied an impressive 17 quality starts versus only 2 really bad starts, showcasing his ability to make an impact early in games and not being a detriment of costing his team games. He ranked seventh in the league in GSAA (15.1) and according to evolving-hockey he posted the 6th highest dfsv% (delta Fenwick save percentage, the differential between actual and expected performance consisting of shot quality, shooter talent and adjusted goalie performance). 

When we look at Samsonov’s performance the past season, it was a massive departure from what Toronto was expecting. Samsonov possessed the 6th worst GSAA in the league with a -15.12 in 40 games played against the 14th worst save percentage with 89%. 9 of his 40 games were also considered really bad starts. It led to Joseph Woll playing more, with him finishing the season with a GSAA of 8.57. One of the troubles for Woll has been his durability. We saw him get injured in the 2nd round of the 2023 playoffs against the Florida Panthers. Last season on December 7th against Ottawa, Woll exited the game with an ankle sprain and missed about three months. In the first round of the playoffs against Boston, Woll took over for Samsonov after Samsonov went 1-3 while posting a dismal 88.3% save versus a 3.31 GAA. Woll started and won both Games 5 and 6 posting an absurd 96.4% save and a .86 GAA. Woll was injured in Game 6 and missed Game 7 where Samsonov was once again in net (we all know how that ended).

Stolarz has proven his consistency, skill, and reliability and will bolster Toronto, where goaltending won’t be the issue. In a league that feels like it has been trending towards goalie tandems rather than riding a starter for 65+ games, it feels like the right fit. When we look at what Stolarz did in Florida with Bobrovsky against some other teams like Vegas, Boston, and the New York Rangers (we saw a good amount of Quick in important moments), there is success but also a strategy to preserving goalies where they are healthier come the last month of the regular season and the start of the playoffs. Woll has demonstrated his prowess in net especially under the lights when they are the brightest. Bringing in a dependable and consistent goalie who posted elite numbers last year in Stolarz will create an exciting goalie duo in Toronto that will aid in their quest for their Cup.