Jet Greaves avoided arbitration and signed a three-year, $15-million contract with Columbus which makes Anthony Stolarz's contract with Toronto a much better deal.
On Thursday, the Columbus Blue Jackets and goaltender Jet Greaves avoided arbitration and came to an agreement on a three-year, $15-million contract ($5-million AAV).
The 25-year-old is coming off a strong season where he had 26 wins (55 games), a .908 SV% and a 2.60 GAA and was looking for a pay increase following his previous $812,500 cap hit and ended the standstill he had with Columbus where he wanted a $7.5M AAV whereas the Blue Jackets put forth only a $2.8M AAV offer.
What Greaves' deal does for the NHL goalie market
While last year was great growth for Greaves, it is really his first season where he shone. His prior two seasons he went 10-8-2 with a .923 SV% and 2.60 GAA. He was solid in minimal time but hasn't yet proved he can be a full-time top-end starter in the NHL.
Though Columbus wanted to make sure that they kept him in the fold, and $5-million AAV for a 25-year-old who could be a reliable and consistent goalie is a good price and almost exactly right in the middle. It took a bit, but both sides were able to compromise.
But it shows potentially the new standard in the league, where goalies (being such a premium) can earn more leverage in negotiations coming off a strong season. No team wants to risk losing a potential star goalie, so they have the ability to ask for more and likely receive it.
Take for example, Jesper Wallstedt. Currently only making $2.2-million, he's coming off a season where he had 18 wins, a 2.60 GAA and .915 SV% while helping lead the Wild to the second round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
Greaves also ranked 9th in the NHL in Goals Saved Above Expected with 16.5 ahead of names like John Gibson (11.7) and Connor Hellebuyck (5.5).
He's likely to use last season as part of his leverage for an extension this upcoming season, and if he starts off strong again in 2026-27 then that price could potentially go up even more.
Why the new goalie standard makes Anthony Stolarz a great contract for Toronto
But someone whose price won't go up for the next four years is Anthony Stolarz, as his four-year, $15-million extension kicks in this year.
He's making only $3.75-million per season which ties him for 31st most expensive goalie in the NHL with Stuart Skinner. Above him are goalies such as Jacob Markstrom ($6-million AAV) as well as both Thatcher Demko ($8.5-million AAV) and Kevin Lankinen ($4.5-million AAV) either older, more expensive, or both.
Even compared to Greaves' $5M contract it's a better deal and despite the injury issues, has proven to be not only a top-end starter but also win in the playoffs.
It's also a bargain for Toronto because of Stolarz's injury history. They did commit years to him however it's not at a huge price tag compared to what it could have been after his strong debut season so if he doesn't end up playing a lot, it's not a complete money sink.
Stolarz struggled with injuries a lot last season and only appeared in 26 games (25 starts) and recorded a 10-10-3 record with a 3.28 GAA and .893 SV%. Even when he was on the ice he wasn't as effective as he was previously and he was unable to handle a full season's workload.
He also offers a lot of flexibility. Teams need a veteran goalie for backup especially come playoff time and he would make sense given his cheap contract and playoff resume or he offers Toronto some pretty solid insurance behind Sergei Bobrovsky.
The two already have a history in Florida and won together so there was also a desire on Toronto's part to recreate some of that magic.
Though Stolarz struggled last season with injuries and underperforming, he's still one of the best goalies in the world when healthy and his $3.75-million AAV is proof you don't need to overpay but it does come with some risks.
Do you still think Anthony Stolarz's contract is good value for the Maple Leafs?
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