Sportsnet NHL insider Elliotte Freidman has voiced the possibility of Anthony Stolarz' next deal looking similar to the contract extension Spencer Knight just inked with the Chicago Blackhawks.
Knight, 24, signed a three-year, $17.49 million contract extension with the Blackhawks this past Saturday, which equals out to an annual average value of $5.83 million.
On the most recent episode of the "32 Thoughts" podcast, Elliotte Freidman and Kyle Bukauskas' podcast for Sportsnet, Freidman brought up whether Stolarz next deal could look similar.
""I got to think, that Knight number -- 3x$5.83M -- even though it's two years of RFA and only one year of UFA, I got to think, if Toronto is looking at three years, Stolarz is probably saying, I'm not far from that'. So, I kind of wonder if that sets Toronto's market.""Elliotte Friedman
Stolarz is currently on a two-year, $5 million deal with the Maple Leafs and is set to hit free agency after the 2025-26 season.
Stolarz joined the Maple Leafs prior to last season after being the backup to Sergei Bobrovsky in Florida the year prior and winning a Stanley Cup. Stolarz was expected by many to come in and be the backup to Joseph Woll, and although some would say the Leafs had a 1A and 1B situation going on in the net last year, others would argue that Stolarz was the clear cut starter. Regardless of who you think was better last year of the two netminders, one thing is for certain -- Stolarz came in and played well above expectations.
Joseph Woll, on the other hand, signed his contract extension on July 1st of last year and the deal kicks in this season. Woll signed a three-year, $10.98 million extension, which has an AAV of $3.66 million. For context, if Stolarz did end up signing a deal similar to Knight's, the Maple Leafs' two goalies would be making a combined $9.5 million in 2026-27, which would be just over 9% of the NHL's expected salary cap of $104 million for that season. Whereas, the average NHL team commits around 8% of its cap space towards their two goalies.
According to The Fourth Period's David Pagnotta, Stolarz and the Maple Leafs went the summer without negotiating a new deal, but have now started discussions with the netminder.
When looking ahead at 2026 goaltender free agents, there are a few interesting names that catch the eye, including arguably the best goaltender in the entire league, in Sergei Bobrovsky. It will be interesting to see what happens with Stolarz and the Maple Leafs as the season progresses.