Drama is back in full force in The Six. For better or worse, this isn’t Auston Matthews and the Toronto Maple Leafs’ first rodeo in the NHL. Following Anthony Stolarz’s blunt statement aimed at the skaters on the team, the captain came forward with a sincere remark.
Everybody knew it was bound to happen, but few expected it so early in the 2025-26 NHL season. Either way, Matthews and the Maple Leafs now find themselves in a sea of uncertainty. The puck hasn’t bounced their way, and some hard truths are coming to light in Hogtown. Still, Matthews believes it’s nothing the Buds can’t handle. After all, having a thick skin is one of the main traits needed to survive in a market like Toronto.
“We’re a veteran group. We’re all big boys,” Matthews commented, in dialogue with TSN. “You don’t need to beat around the bush. It’s an easy conversation we all had and you just move on, close the door. We’ve got to be better and we will be.”
How it started
To start a fire in Toronto, there is no need for a huge light and a thousand matches. A simple spark will do the trick. In this case, it all started after a disappointing effort against the Seattle Kraken. The Buds lost 4-3 in overtime, but goaltender Stolarz couldn’t help but feel like he was left out to dry by his teammates.
Auston Matthews hugs Anthony Stolarz after a win
Looking across from the opposite end of the ice, Stolarz felt envy as Seattle netminder Joey Daccord had it much easier than him. After the defeat in sudden-death overtime, the Stanley Cup-winning goalie dropped an unminced statement.
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“I thought the first two periods we kind of let them walk all over us. They just outworked us, plain and simple,” Stolarz said postgame, via @Leafslatest on X. “I mean, I’m not happy. I’m going to try and stand up for myself. Maybe we can take a page out of their book and start getting to the net. I mean, for their goalie, it’s like playing catch in the yard. You’re seeing everything, and we’re not making it difficult. Enough’s enough, and we’ve kind of got to start picking it up here.”
Chain reaction
As expected, it didn’t take long before other leading voices in the room addressed the situation. Perhaps, in hopes of stopping it from snowballing into a bigger issue. Regardless, it’s all laid out on the table for the rest of the NHL to see.
“It’s frustration, we all prefer it stay in the room, but it happens. We’ve moved on from it,” head coach Craig Berube admitted, per The Hockey News’ David Alter.
“It’s all good. Look, we’re teammates. [Stolarz is] a great guy. There’s nothing that we need to, you know, talk about here. Yeah, he talked to me after and it’s all good. It’s been no issue since,” William Nylander told reporters. “I think there’s some frustration, maybe a little bit in the locker room. We know we can play better.”
Not much left to be done
Even if the Maple Leafs are upset with Stolarz for his public comments, calling out his teammates, there aren’t many options for Berube and his staff. Surely, backup goalie Cayden Primeau could slot in for a game or two, but everybody in Toronto knows how valuable Stolarz is to the team’s success. With Joseph Woll out indefinitely with a leave of absence, Stolarz’s overall value only skyrockets for Matthews and company.
Regardless, though untimely, the Maple Leafs don’t seem too upset about Stolarz delivering such a stern message to a dozen microphones and cameras. If anything, it might be a blessing in disguise for Toronto—a much-needed wake-up call in the 2025-26 NHL campaign. Whether it pays off or only sparks more drama is a question only time can answer for the Buds.
