Auston Matthews and the Toronto Maple Leafs have had enough drama in the summer. With the 2025–26 NHL season approaching, there’s nothing they’d like more than to put every concern to rest. That includes working out a contract extension with a key Stanley Cup champion on the roster.
While adding a top-six forward is a priority for the Maple Leafs, Matthews and company would rather the brass puts pen to paper on an extension for a more urgent position. Goaltending has become a strength for Toronto in the NHL, but that hangs largely on the hands of Anthony Stolarz. Keeping the Stanley Cup-winning netminder (in 2024 with the Florida Panthers) in town will go a long way for the Buds’ championship hopes.
On that note, reports suggest Stolarz is well aware of the leverage he holds over the Maple Leafs. The 31-year-old goalie does want to re-sign and stay alongside Matthews and company, though. It’s not that he’s a stumbling block for Toronto, but rather that he’s looking to get the best possible deal out of the situation.
“The challenge for Toronto here is that Stolarz really has a ton of leverage,” Elliotte Friedman commented on the 32 Thoughts Podcast. “He’s indicated he doesn’t want this to go into the season. That’s a little bit of leverage his way.
Anthony Stolarz at Scotiabank Arena on October 12, 2024.
“The other leverage is that Stolarz can bet on himself at a time where there’s really not a lot of goalies available out there. Look how many of these goalies have started to get locked up. Don’t forget, Stolarz’s been bounced around a bit, so he’s used to uncertainty.”
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Contract years
Those two words are among the most feared in the NHL. Often, it’s the player with an expiring deal who shakes with nervousness. But on other occasions, it’s actually the organization that trembles. For Matthews, though, contract years are no distractions to the rest of the team. The captain had set the record straight with a candid statement about Mitch Marner’s situation last year.
Stolarz is now entering the final season of his two-year, $5 million contract with the Maple Leafs. His performance last campaign was very exciting for the Leafs, who now hope to reach an agreement before the puck drops in October. However, playing for his future in the league isn’t necessarily the worst outcome for the netminder. Although that’s not what either side envisions, either.
“Toronto and Stolarz are still going back-and-forth. That says there is a willingness to do a deal,” Friedman commented. “But who benefits by being able to take more of a chance? It probably is the player on this case. Because if Stolarz has a big year, then either Toronto pays him even more than it wants, or he goes and Toronto has to find somebody else.”
Auston Matthews during the 2022 NHL player media tour in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Find a way
Needless to say, the expectation in The Six remains the same as always heading into a new season. That is to go all the way and hoist the Stanley Cup. 57 years have passed by since Toronto last crowned itself in the NHL. Since, it’s been nothing but heartbreak time and again.
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For those keeping count, over 21,000 days flew off the calendar since the last time the Leafs could call themselves the best team in the league. One way or the other, the hex must end, and Matthews is now fully in charge of leading the Buds in that direction.
