2. Can Anthony Stolarz be the No. 1 Goalie?
Anthony Stolarz has been incredible to start the season. A mysterious injury to Joseph Woll just before the regular season started has left the Maple Leafs no choice to turn to Stolarz and he has been great.
A record of 4-2-1 with a 2.45 GAA, .916 SV%, and 2.8 goals saved above expected ranks 10th amongst starters in the league, above names such as Jeremy Swayman, Juuse Saros and Andrei Vasilevskiy.
The question is whether he can play 45-plus games in the NHL. Stolarz has been a backup for the entirety of his career and has never played more than 28 games in a season. That can be quite the adjustment for a 30-year-old goaltender who hasn't played as a starter since 2019-20 in the AHL.
An ideal situation for the Maple Leafs would to have Joseph Woll fully healthy all year so they can split the starts, similar to what Ullmark and Swayman did in Boston. But with Woll's health concerns, I don't believe you can rely on that as a main option.
It will be interesting to see what the Toronto Maple Leafs do as we progress later into the season, and if they start to play one of Stolarz or Woll as their number one goalie.