The Toronto Maple Leafs’ extension of Anthony Stolarz could become the NHL’s best contract. That’s not hyperbole. That’s not acting like a die-hard fanboy.
When looking at the raw numbers behind Stolarz’s four-year extension, it’s tough to ignore the potential lurking there.
Firstly, the Leafs were able to ink Stolarz to a four-year contract after he reportedly was insisting on a five-year deal or more. But then again, Stolarz was willing to play ball. He wanted to stay in Toronto. So, the two sides met halfway.
Now, why is a four-year deal so significant? Well, Stolarz is 31. That’s not old in real-life terms (I’m much older than that), but it’s getting long in the tooth in NHL terms. Signing Stolarz for four seasons allows the Maple Leafs to keep their starting goalie for the foreseeable future, without risking the contract becoming an albatross toward its end.
Also, the AAV has to be the most significant aspect of it. The Leafs get a solid starting goalie for $3.75 million per season. Sure, detractors may say that Stolarz isn’t a proven starter. There may be some basis to that. But then again, Stolarz proved himself last season.
Beyond that, the going rate for a run-of-the-mill starting goalie begins at around $5 million per season. That’s the sort of contract goalies like Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen signed with the Buffalo Sabres.
Top-flight starting goalies, such as Jake Oettinger or Jeremy Swayman, are up in the $8 million AAV range. Then, elite staters like Connor Hellebuyck, Igor Shesterkin, or Sergei Bobrovsky are past the $10 million AAV range.
While Stolarz may not be in the Shesterkin or Hellebuyck tier, he’s pretty good. So, getting a starter for under $5 million is an absolute bargain by today’s NHL standards. But there’s one other key factor that could easily be overlooked.
Maple Leafs get crucial cost certainty with Stolarz signing
The Maple Leafs get something crucial by inking Stolarz on Sunday: Cost certainty.
Cost certainty refers to knowing how much it’s going to cost the team to ice their lineup. In particular, the Leafs know how much it’s going to cost to keep their starting goaltender. That’s huge when considering the salary cap will be going up next season, and potentially the next couple of seasons after that.
The Maple Leafs, instead of dipping their toes into the free-agent goaltending market this summer, can sit back and let other teams gouge their eyes out as they scramble for goalie help.
Two teams that immediately come to mind are the Edmonton Oilers and Florida Panthers. The Panthers’ starter, Sergei Bobrovsky, will become a UFA this summer. The Cats likely re-sign him, but for how much?
Then, the Oilers don’t have an NHL-level goalie signed beyond this season. Stuart Skinner and Calvin Pickard will be UFA at the end of the season. So, what do the Oilers do moving forward?
Those two situations highlight just how important cost certainty is for the Maple Leafs. GM Brad Treliving won’t have to stay up at night worrying about his goalie situation. With Stolarz in tow, things are looking up. The addition of James Reimer is a huge boost. And, when Joseph Woll comes back, the Leafs will all of a sudden have enviable goaltending depth.
Keep that in mind as the season unfolds. Goaltending depth will be huge this season. The compressed schedule will make it virtually impossible to get through it without churning through at least three goalies at any given time.
This signing could be Brad Treliving’s best one during his Maple Leafs tenure.