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It&#8217;s been a whirlwind summer for Anthony Stolarz, who joined the Toronto Maple Leafs in free agency, coming off a Stanley Cup victory with the Florida Panthers. Stolarz joined Nick Alberga and Jay Rosehill on Thursday&#8217;s edition of Leafs Morning Take and it&#8217;s clear that he&#8217;s thrilled about the next step of his career.
The 30-year-old posted the best season of his career, saving 20.1 goals above expected in all situations via MoneyPuck, while operating as one of the NHL&#8217;s premier backups behind Panthers star Sergei Bobrovsky — and of course, getting to lift the Cup is the pinnacle.
Stolarz provided a window into what his process was like before electing to sign a <a href="https://theleafsnation.com/news/maple-leafs-reportedly-sign-anthony-stolarz-to-2-year-contract">two-year deal worth $2.5 million annually</a> with the Maple Leafs.
&#8220;It was a quick turnaround with the parade on June 30th and the next day, you&#8217;re signing on July 1,&#8221; Stolarz said. &#8220;I know there was some dialogue back-and-forth once the season was officially over. I was able to speak to my agent about things and see what he thought. He presented me with all the options and I just thought Toronto was the best fit in terms of an opportunity, a team that is a very strong contender and obviously going to a city like Toronto, it&#8217;s something I&#8217;m looking forward to it. I&#8217;m really excited for it.&#8221;
Stolarz will be accompanied by Oliver Ekman-Larsson, who provides the Maple Leafs with some offensive flair on the blue line. Ekman-Larsson isn&#8217;t the only Maple Leafs player that Stolarz is familiar with, having played with Max Domi and Mitch Marner during their shared tenure with the London Knights of the Ontario Hockey League.
&#8220;A couple of guys once I signed reached out, you get added to the group chat. I&#8217;m definitely looking forward to getting to camp and reconnecting with those guys. I know Simon Benoit, Jani Hakanpaa, OEL is coming with me from Florida so I know a little bit of the core here. It&#8217;ll be exciting to get to town, meet some new guys and get things rolling here.&#8221;
Stolarz will form a true tandem with Joseph Woll, as the Maple Leafs made a calculated bet on <a href="https://theleafsnation.com/news/maple-leafs-are-placing-calculated-bet-on-small-sample-excellence-in-goal">small sample excellence</a> for the next two seasons and it appears that Toronto&#8217;s goalies are quickly getting familiar with each other before training camp begins.
&#8220;I&#8217;ve heard nothing but great things,&#8221; Stolarz said of Woll. &#8220;He reached out when I first signed, shot a text over. We have the same agent and my agent had nothing but great things to say about him. Dakota Mermis, his dad coached him in St. Louis so I knew a little about him before he got drafted and what not. It&#8217;s an exciting opportunity and I&#8217;m looking forward to working with him.&#8221;
It&#8217;s clear that Stolarz is looking forward to a larger opportunity with a Maple Leafs team that is looking to break through the proverbial wall. Stolarz&#8217;s star profile can grow exponentially in this market and it should be a compelling opportunity, as he&#8217;ll be afforded more volume than any junction in his career.
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The Nation Gear Out of Office Summer Sale is here, and it&#8217;s one week only! We&#8217;re taking 20% off your entire order — yes, you heard that right, 20% off! Some exclusions apply, but don&#8217;t let that stop you from snagging the best deals of the season. And it gets even better! Spend over $200, and we&#8217;ll throw in free shipping — shop &#8217;til you drop and let us handle the shipping costs.
So what are you waiting for? Head over to <a href="http://nationgear.ca/" target="_blank" rel="noopener" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=http://nationgear.ca&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1722379874701000&amp;usg=AOvVaw1_fMFSToUz5XOXEclvxLek">nationgear.ca</a> and grab your favourite gear before it’s gone — we may have even snuck in a few surprise items available ONLY THIS WEEK 😉

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VuKUNSXvqYs

It's been a whirlwind summer for Anthony Stolarz, who joined the Toronto Maple Leafs in free agency, coming off a Stanley Cup victory with the Florida Panthers. Stolarz joined Nick Alberga and Jay Rosehill on Thursday's edition of Leafs Morning Take and it's clear that he's thrilled about the next step of his career.

The 30-year-old posted the best season of his career, saving 20.1 goals above expected in all situations via MoneyPuck, while operating as one of the NHL's premier backups behind Panthers star Sergei Bobrovsky — and of course, getting to lift the Cup is the pinnacle.

Stolarz provided a window into what his process was like before electing to sign a <a href="https://theleafsnation.com/news/maple-leafs-reportedly-sign-anthony-stolarz-to-2-year-contract">two-year deal worth $2.5 million annually</a> with the Maple Leafs.

"It was a quick turnaround with the parade on June 30th and the next day, you're signing on July 1," Stolarz said. "I know there was some dialogue back-and-forth once the season was officially over. I was able to speak to my agent about things and see what he thought. He presented me with all the options and I just thought Toronto was the best fit in terms of an opportunity, a team that is a very strong contender and obviously going to a city like Toronto, it's something I'm looking forward to it. I'm really excited for it."

Stolarz will be accompanied by Oliver Ekman-Larsson, who provides the Maple Leafs with some offensive flair on the blue line. Ekman-Larsson isn't the only Maple Leafs player that Stolarz is familiar with, having played with Max Domi and Mitch Marner during their shared tenure with the London Knights of the Ontario Hockey League.

"A couple of guys once I signed reached out, you get added to the group chat. I'm definitely looking forward to getting to camp and reconnecting with those guys. I know Simon Benoit, Jani Hakanpaa, OEL is coming with me from Florida so I know a little bit of the core here. It'll be exciting to get to town, meet some new guys and get things rolling here."

Stolarz will form a true tandem with Joseph Woll, as the Maple Leafs made a calculated bet on <a href="https://theleafsnation.com/news/maple-leafs-are-placing-calculated-bet-on-small-sample-excellence-in-goal">small sample excellence</a> for the next two seasons and it appears that Toronto's goalies are quickly getting familiar with each other before training camp begins.

"I've heard nothing but great things," Stolarz said of Woll. "He reached out when I first signed, shot a text over. We have the same agent and my agent had nothing but great things to say about him. Dakota Mermis, his dad coached him in St. Louis so I knew a little about him before he got drafted and what not. It's an exciting opportunity and I'm looking forward to working with him."

It's clear that Stolarz is looking forward to a larger opportunity with a Maple Leafs team that is looking to break through the proverbial wall. Stolarz's star profile can grow exponentially in this market and it should be a compelling opportunity, as he'll be afforded more volume than any junction in his career.

<a href="https://nationgear.ca/"><img class="alignnone wp-image-129407 size-full" src="https://publish.canucksarmy.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2099/08/Article.png" alt="" width="727" height="404" /></a>
The Nation Gear Out of Office Summer Sale is here, and it's one week only! We're taking 20% off your entire order — yes, you heard that right, 20% off! Some exclusions apply, but don't let that stop you from snagging the best deals of the season. And it gets even better! Spend over $200, and we'll throw in free shipping — shop 'til you drop and let us handle the shipping costs.
So what are you waiting for? Head over to <a href="http://nationgear.ca/" target="_blank" rel="noopener" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=http://nationgear.ca&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1722379874701000&amp;usg=AOvVaw1_fMFSToUz5XOXEclvxLek">nationgear.ca</a> and grab your favourite gear before it’s gone — we may have even snuck in a few surprise items available ONLY THIS WEEK ;)

Anthony Stolarz reflects on Stanley Cup victory, tandem with Joseph Woll and more

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