Is Anthony Stolarz the Best Goalie in the World Right Now?

Last season brought a pleasant surprise for Toronto Maple Leafs fans as Anthony Stolarz came in and solidified the goaltender position alongside Joseph Woll to finally give the team some stability in net for the first time in decades.

He came out of the gates hot, and never really let up even with a mid-season injury. This season he's picked up right where he left off and has been making ridiculous saves and keeping the Maple Leafs in every game he's started.

There was never much praise given to Stolarz, who was looked at as the league's best backup but not necessarily a starter.

However some new statistics show that perhaps he goaltender should be given his flowers and garner some more attention and recognition around the league:

It feels like Stolarz has certainly found a home here in Toronto and the fact that he took a staggeringly low deal to stay with the team as opposed to what he could have gotten in free agency shows that he believes in the Maple Leafs mentality.

Plus, they trusted him right off the bat and said 'Take the starter job' and boy did he run with it. In 2024-25 he went 21-8-4 with a 2.14 GAA and .926 SV%; he led the league in that category; the same as he did the year prior.

The man just...makes saves. It's hard to really put into words just how stable and reassuring it is to have Stolarz in net on any given night.

But there are a few concerns regarding his injury history and whether or not being able to shoulder 50-60 games is going to be too much for him to handle. His confidence is there, but is his body?

With Joseph Woll out indefinitely, Cayden Primeau a wildcard, and no one else to really step in and help out besides Dennis Hildeby, it's going to be really important that Stolarz not only plays well, but stays healthy.

This season he's been good, though not to those high standards as we expect. He is 2-2-0 with a 2.52 GAA and .907 SV% but those numbers will surely improve and the team hadn't played well the first few games of the year so he's hardly to blame.

He has never had more than 33 starts in his career, and there's almost an inevitability that he surpasses that this year, so Toronto's defense needs to make sure they give him an easier time, and protect him when necessary.

The Toronto Maple Leafs, Craig Berube, Brad Treliving, and everyone involved believe in Anthony Stolarz and he's given them every reason to do so.

And he might be setting himself up to be recognized as the greatest goalie in the world.