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Elliotte Friedman Confirms the Status of Anthony Stolarz's Negotiations with the Maple Leafs
Photo credit: Imagn Images
Toronto Maple Leafs goaltender Anthony Stolarz is working on a contract extension, and insider Elliotte Friedman appears to have the scoop on what's happening.
Anthony Stolarz is coming off one of the best seasons of his entire career, and as a result, the Toronto Maple Leafs are looking to keep him around a while.
Now that Stolarz is over 30, he is looking for some stability. Consequently, that means lots of term and lots of money. Given his status as a career backup, the Leafs certainly will have trepidation giving in to every demand.
With that being said, the goaltender and the Leafs have a lot of motivation for keeping their relationship alive over the coming years.
Elliotte Friedman on the Anthony Stolarz situation
According to Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet, the Leafs and Stolarz are putting in a ton of effort in these negotiations, especially with a self-imposed regular-season deadline coming up.
In the eyes of Friedman, this effort suggests that both sides want to remain together, and that something will get done sooner rather than later.
They're working at it. I understand they're going back and forth trying to make it work. When you're putting in that much effort, it tells me that both sides want to get something done - and I've always believed that when both sides want it, they usually find a way.
If Stolarz does, indeed, get a deal with the Maple Leafs, it will likely be for three to four seasons. Meanwhile, the money should be interesting, as most suggest $4-5 million per season is fair.
Stolarz and Joseph Woll were one of the best tandems in the league last season, and the expectation is that they will be just as good this season.
Should this be the case, then the Maple Leafs could be a sneaky pick for a deep run through the NHL playoffs.
This week, we could see some progress made in these contract talks, so stay tuned for updates.
| POLL | ||
SEPTEMBRE 22 | 267 ANSWERS Elliotte Friedman Confirms the Status of Anthony Stolarz's Negotiations with the Maple Leafs Do you believe the Toronto Maple Leafs need to keep Anthony Stolarz? | ||
| YES | 258 | 96.6 % |
| NO | 9 | 3.4 % |
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