Maple Leafs goaltender Anthony Stolarz set to take the reigns as number 1 goalie in Toronto?

A star for the Florida Panthers highlights the possibility of Anthony Stolarz grabbing the net and becoming the starting goalie in Toronto, leaving Joseph Woll as the backup.

When Stolarz struck a deal with the Maple Leafs at the start of free agency, the common perception of the deal was that he'd be coming to Toronto as sophomore goaltender Joseph Woll's number two. However, Panthers star forward Sam Reinhart revealed this week that it's just as reasonable to think that Stolarz can come in and not only press Woll for starts, but actually become the Leafs' number one goaltender.

Fresh off of their Stanley Cup win back in June, the Panthers lost some key players on July 1st, including two to the Maple Leafs in Stolarz and Oliver Ekman-Larsson. While the jury is still out on what OEL will be able to accomplish in Toronto, just about everyone who knows Anthony Stolarz has come forward to express how excited they are for him and just how phenomenal of a goaltender he actually is -- Reinhart among them.

Reinhart also spoke of Stolarz's contributions to the Panthers on their Cup run and his high quality character, which should fit in very well in a tight-knit Leafs locker room. In addition, he delivered a little jab towards his friend and former goaltender.

Whether Stolarz can maintain his tremendous play across a larger number of games in Toronto remains to be seen, but if he can produce numbers comparable to the ones he posted last season, a 16-7-2 record with a .925 SV% and a 2.03 GAA, then perhaps we will see Stolarz getting the lion's share of the starts in Toronto in 2024-25.

Source: The Hockey NewsWhy Anthony Stolarz -�Not Joseph Woll -�Could Have the Inside Track To Being the Leafs' No. 1 Goalie

Source: NHL.comAnthony Stolarz stats

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