The Toronto Maple Leafs have a chance to improve their goalie depth after it took a hit earlier this week.
Days before the 2018-19 season began, the Toronto Maple Leafs placed Curtis McElhinney and Calvin Pickard on waivers in an attempt to keep their goalie depth secured with the Marlies. That move ended up backfiring as both got claimed the next day.
The organization has made a move to try and bring back some of the strength in net by bringing in Jeff Glass on an AHL contract but the Leafs could use some more help in net. Luckily for them, there’s a player who was placed on waivers today that can help fill the void.
He just so happens to be from the team that snatched Pickard away in the Philadelphia Flyers.
#Flyers G Anthony Stolarz is on waivers today.
— Frank Seravalli (@frank_seravalli) October 5, 2018
Your initial thought may be that of confusion given that the Marlies already have Glass and Kasimir Kaskisuo on the roster and don’t need another goalie. On the contrary, I think the Leafs should seriously consider this move given that Anthony Stolarz has value and is still young.
Age and potential makes him intriguing
At 24-years-old, Stolarz is still developing as a goalie and has more room to grow. He is blessed with great size as he is 6’6 inches tall and weighs 210 pounds, which is always beneficial as a goalie.
A former 2nd round draft pick in the 2012 Draft, Stolarz has been fairly decent during his time in the AHL. Across over three seasons with the Lehigh Valley Phantoms, he has recorded 48 wins, 3 shutouts, a .911 SV%, and a 2.90 GAA as per AHL.com.
Stolarz has made a few NHL appearances and in his only season of action so far (2016-17), he posted promising stats. Despite a limited sample size of 7 games, he registered 2 wins, 1 loss, a SO, a .928 SV%, and only 2.07 GA.
Every goalie does have their weaknesses and Stolarz is no different. Unfortunately, the biggest knock against him is his inability to stay healthy.
In 2014 as a member of the London Knights, he suffered a gruesome injury to his leg that sidelined him for 2 months. Almost a year ago, Stolarz missed a large chunk of the past campaign due to a torn meniscus in his left knee.
It ended up affecting his numbers as he was never able to fully return to form once he did play. He played in three rehab games in the ECHL and his numbers were not pretty as per HockeyDB.
A low-risk move
Despite his injury struggles in recent months, his young age and potential should still make him an attractive target to any team looking for a goalie to add in their depth chart.
As mentioned earlier, the Leafs need to replenish their goalie depth after it took a hit with McElhinney and Pickard being lost to waivers. In the event of an injury to one of Frederik Andersen and/or Garret Sparks, the versatility of having a solid player to fill in the void is no longer there.
Adding Stolarz to the fold could help fix that while also providing the Marlies with more insurance in net. It could also give him a chance to slowly bring his game back to the where it was during the 2016-17 season.
The best part is that it would be a low-risk move for the Leafs. If he rebounds nicely, it would help make for the loss of McElhinney and Pickard a little bit. Otherwise, let him go after the season ends given he only has one year left on his deal as per CapFriendly.com.
In short, it wouldn’t be a bad idea for Kyle Dubas and company to seriously consider claiming Stolarz. Given his youth and capabilities prior to last season, he could help alleviate the goalie depth that took a hit earlier this week.
Thanks for reading!
All stats unless otherwise noted are from Hockey-Reference.com.