Anthony Stolarz's injury history is well documented and some believe that the veteran can't handle a full season and may not be able to ride things out completely.
The Toronto Maple Leafs are currently in the processor overhauling their lineup for the future and have seen names like Joseph Woll and Simon Benoit traded with likely deals for names like Morgan Rielly, Brandon Carlo, and perhaps potentially even Matthew Knies.
There's certainly some holes the team is looking to fill in addition to beefing up their already star-studded top-six, and they've done a great job so far acquiring Emil Andrae and Darren Raddysh for the blueline while bringing in a younger goalie in Samuel Ersson.
But that latter acquisition makes things a little tough in Toronto considering that they are still needing to figure out who is going to be the two goalies to backstop the Maple Leafs this upcoming season, and they may even have a superstar like Sergei Bobrovsky in mind in addition to their four goalies.
Anthony Stolarz's body is his own worst enemy and Nick Kypreos believes it'll lead to his departure
Or perhaps there's a reason why Toronto is loading up in the crease, and Nick Kypreos may have hit the nail on the head - at least when it comes to Stolarz's future.
On Real Kyper and Bourne on Wednesday, Kypreos explained that his faith in Stolarz's health is basically nonexistent and he would be surprised to see him not only hit 30 games this year, but finish out his entire contract in general:
I don't know what you can count on from Stolarz. His body is failing him, he's got issues with his body. I don't know if you can count on 30 games from him. I give him 0% chance of playing out his NHL contract...I'm not worried about four years from now, I am worried if he can make it through this year.
Not only does Kypreos' faith not sit in Stolarz's ability to play a full season as a starter, but that he may not ever be healthy enough again and may need to walk away a lot sooner than he or anyone may have anticipated.
Stolarz, 32, is signed until 2030 for a cap hit of $3.75-million. That's not terrible for a goalie who can give you stellar numbers but is very rarely medically able to do so. He may be worth trying to push on the market to see what assets the team could get back, and if someone like Bobrovsky comes in then the writing is on the wall.
He registered a 10-10-3 record with a 3.28 GAA and .893 SV% which is a far cry from the near Vezina numbers he put up in 2024-25 where he went 21-8-3 with a 2.14 GAA and .926 SV%.
Toronto already has their future in net, they just need a healthier mentor to guide them
Stolarz would be a great veteran presence, but a lot of what the future between the pipes can learn from is seeing Stolarz in action but as we've seen that's easier said than done.
Bobrovsky coming is comes with risks of course. He's 38, going to be a fairly expensive player and cost nearly double what Stolarz is making.
But he's also a player who notoriously prides himself on conditioning and trying to better himself. His offseason workout routine borders on insanity, and he's set to play into his 40's.
-
While the video is in Russian, here is the routine that Bobrovsky follows:
- Up at 5:30 AM
- 1.5-hour gym session
- Breakfast
- 3-3.5 hours of on-ice training
- Recovery and rest
- Lunch
- Another 2-2.5 hours on the ice
- Relax and recharge
That is a minimum of 6.5 hours either training or in the gym, and hits 7.5 hours on the more intense end of things. It would make a triathlete blush, and it feels like he's cut from the same cloth as John Tavares - another incredibly durable and health-focused player.
He'll at least be able to stick around long enough to see Dennis Hildeby and Artur Akhtyamov grow and progress towards being NHLers and who better than someone like Bobrovsky to help guide them?
Plus, the connection with Akhtyamov could lead to seeing something special with a one-two Russian punch in net.
Stolarz's debut season helped guide Toronto to the closest they've been to the Cup in a long time. But he was playing with a fragile body to begin with, and his sacrifice may have put his future at risk which should give Toronto concern if they don't realize it soon.
Should the Toronto Maple Leafs cut ties with Anthony Stolarz?
Also read on Hockey Patrol :
Jim Hiller is cleaning house and one of his assistants just got the boot