Leafs reporter asserts strong opinion on Anthony Stolarz ahead of first season in Toronto

With training camp set to begin in the coming weeks, James Mirtle of The Athletic continued his annual tradition of answering fan questions about the Leafs' upcoming season. In his latest edition of the series, Mirtle was asked which player, outside of Matthew Knies, is primed to have a breakout season to which he gave a bit of a surprising answer.

Stolarz was signed by the Leafs on the opening day of free agency to a two-year deal that carries a $2.5M cap hit and is expected to challenge Joseph Woll for starts this season. Coming off of a Stanley Cup with the Florida Panthers that saw him play in just 27 regular season games, questions still surround the Leafs' crease as neither Stolarz nor Woll have played in more than 30 games in a season. However, given Woll's injury history, and Stolarz's very strong numbers last season (16-7-2, .925 SV%, 2.03 GAA) the 30-year-old could be set to have a massive season in the blue and white.

The only thing working against the former second-round pick is the fact he may not have the stamina to play 40+ games for the Leafs. Thankfully, Joseph Woll and Matt Murray provide plenty of insulation at the position. With Stolarz and Woll expected to split starts, it will be interesting to see how Craig Berube divvies up playing time to the expected 1A/1B tandem, especially if one of them goes on a run.

Source: The Athletic
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