One of the major stories for the Toronto Maple Leafs last season was the success of their goaltending tandem. After a breakthrough 2023-24 season, Joseph Woll looked set to carry the lion’s share of the team’s starts, when Anthony Stolarz came in and put up some of the best numbers of his career. Stolarz spent some time out due to injury, but they still split the net nearly 50/50.

Woll signed a three-year extension last summer to remain in Toronto through 2028, but Stolarz enters the season with just one year remaining on his contract. Naturally, as Toronto’s de facto starting goalie, that has raised questions about whether he’ll be extended.

Speaking to media at the opening of training camp Wednesday, Leafs General Manager Brad Treliving shared where things are at between the team and Stolarz right now:

“We’ve engaged with Anthony and his representatives, nothing to announce right now,” Treliving said. “We’re hopeful to find a good outcome. I’m confident until proven otherwise we’re going to find something that’s going to work and hopefully we do that in short order.”

NHL Insider Chris Johnston reported on Wednesday that Stolarz does not want the negotiations to bleed into the regular season, so there is motivation on both sides to get a deal done in the next three weeks.

While Toronto’s has seen some of the games biggest offensive stars over the past decade, it’s been a while since there’s been a goaltender who can truly be a game changer. Last season, Stolarz showed he can be that game changer, with a 2.14 GAA, .926 SV%, and four shutouts in 34 games played, finishing with a 21-8-3 record. If he can stay healthy, he has the potential for a big year, especially with Woll alongside him to split the workload.

“They played real well together,” Treliving said, of watching the tandem last season. “We were sitting up here last year, and that was a big question mark for our team. Neither one of them had played 40+ games, and I think in both their cases they both had a good year last year. I think in the league, there’s a handful of guys who are going to play 50-60 games, it’s more of a tandem league now. … they’re both real solid goaltenders, I’d like to see if we can keep them both here.”

With two strong options between the pipes for the Maple Leafs heading into this season, things are looking good for Toronto defensively. Hopefully, it’s only a matter of time before Stolarz is locked in, and this tandem can ride for years to come.