Anthony Stolarz is facing the toughest reputation test of his career

In the span of one season, Toronto Maple Leafs goaltender Anthony Stolarz went from having a goals-against average of 2.14 and a save percentage of .926, to posting a GAA of 3.28 and a save percentage of .893.

Both Stolarz and Joseph Woll struggled last season after being among the league's best goalie tandems in 2024-25. The Leafs ended up trading Woll and bringing in two-time Stanley Cup winner Sergei Bobrovsky.

Stolarz is expected to be the backup given Bobrovsky's clout and career achievements. However, this season still matters heavily for Stolarz's reputation. With Bobrovsky expected to carry the larger workload, Stolarz will have fewer starts to prove that last year's drop was an outlier rather than a new baseline.

Bobrovsky's arrival gives Stolarz fewer chances to rebuild his starter reputation

Stolarz and Woll fought for the starting role over the course of two seasons. Head coach Craig Berube would oftentimes split the workload. However, come playoff time in 2025, Berube went with Stolarz thanks to his undeniable record. Even last season, despite the struggles, Stolarz was still up for that number one spot.

This year, Stolarz can show other teams that last year was an outlier and that his value is still very much intact. Scouts will be able to judge him off how he handles game time after long layoffs. If Bobrovsky needs to miss time, Stolarz could also prove his worth during consecutive starts and matchups with top teams.

Rebounding after poor starts will also be critical for Stolarz, who did have some rough moments last year. Infamously, he got mad at the team in front of him while speaking to the public. This did not sit well with pundits, and it's something the netminder will need to work on to keep morale high.

Every Stolarz start from here on out carries more reputational weight. He has fewer opportunities to prove he can still be an NHL starter, and teams are watching.

Stolarz can lose the Maple Leafs job and still win back his NHL starter reputation

Anthony Stolarz does not need to snatch the starting job from Sergei Bobrovsky to have a successful season. A strong 25-35 game sample size could prove to be enough to re-establish his market and reputation.

For Stolarz, this season should be about quality over quantity. A smaller workload provides more opportunity for consistency, which is something NHL teams value in a goaltender.

If Stolarz can put up solid numbers behind Bobrovsky, he can rebuild the credibility he earned in 2024-25 and give Toronto confidence that it still has more than a traditional backup.

That said, if Stolarz struggles in limited starts, the backup label might just become a permanent fixture for him. Stolarz does not need to beat Bobrovsky for the No. 1 job to repair his reputation. He needs to show that the .926 season was closer to the real version of him than the .893 season that followed.

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