Anthony Stolarz
Perhaps one of the more underrated goaltenders in the NHL, Anthony Stolarz had flown under-the-radar for many NHL seasons due to the fact they he had played for many struggling teams.
When he finally got the opportunity to play for a real team like the Panthers in 2023-24, Stolarz showed exactly what he could bring to a strong contender.
Last season, Stolarz posted a stellar 16-7-2 record with an impressive 2.03 GAA and .925 save percentage with the Cup-winning Florida team.
For his career, he has still somehow managed to maintain a solid 2.69 GAA and .914 save percentage despite being on some poor teams. He kind of reminds everyone of Linus Ullmark, who still performed well while playing for the lowly Buffalo Sabres, but rose to elite levels once with a stronger team like Boston.
So if Stolarz can become anything close to what Ullmark has transformed into, the Leafs could have a gem in their hands. (All stats from hockey-reference.com)
Stolarz will likely be the backup to Joseph Woll to start the 2024-25 season.
However, if he manages to finally breakout given that he will get more playing time with the Leafs, it wouldn’t be surprising if the Woll-Stolarz tandem converts into a 1A and 1B goalie option system instead.