Anthony Stolarz (Anaheim Ducks)
The third option and maybe the most likely of the bunch is the Anaheim Ducks’ Anthony Stolarz, who has only recently found his groove as an NHL option.
Taken in the second round (45th overall) by the Philadelphia Flyers back in 2012, last year he saw the ice 28 times (23 starts) for the Ducks.
Considering they weren’t a very competitive outfit, his statistics are quite remarkable with the big-bodied New Jersey native putting up a save percentage of 0.917 and goals-against-average of 2.67 for the 2021-22 Ducks (per Elite Prospects).
It’s worth noting that they finished 23rd in the league last year with the 10th-worst goals against, conceding 271 goals.
The combination of his size in net with his 6’6″ frame, his proven ability last season and the fact he’s still only 28 years old suggest that the Ducks would be hoping to cash-in.
Stolarz would likely come with a decent price-tag just based on these facts alone, but add in a contract that pays just $950,000 this season and you can see how it might bump that price higher.
Behind the right team, you have to imagine that Anthony Stolarz could certainly make a living as an NHL backup, hence why he might be a hard move to make for the Toronto Maple Leafs.
They are unlikely to offer up, in all likelihood Matt Murray’s backup spot, given the cap hit of their summer signing and the league in turn is unlikely to turn a blind eye if the Leafs attempted to sneak Stolarz through waivers.
Perhaps if Matt Murray finds himself reinjured or the injury concern Ilya Samsonov is dealing with turns out to be major and necessitate a decent period of time off on injured reserve, it might be time to make a deal.
In the meantime, Anthony Stolarz may represent the best option on the market but one that is just out of reach for the Toronto Maple Leafs.
The going is tough right now with fourth and fifth-choice goalies in the line-up, but is adding another goalie to the mix going to solve anything long-term for the Leafs or will it just compound their asset management problems?