Stolarz signed a two-year, $5 million contract with the Leafs following his Stanley Cup victory with the Florida Panthers.
Newly signed Toronto Maple Leafs goaltender Anthony Stolarz has had quite the last few weeks. From winning a Stanley Cup with the Florida Panthers to earning a pay bump in NHL free agency, his memorable summer continued on Tuesday.
After winning the Stanley Cup, each player gets their designated day with it. On Tuesday, Stolarz enjoyed his well-earned day with the Stanley Cup at the Jersey Shore's renowned Bar Anticipation, also known as "Bar A.” Stolarz, who signed a two-year, $5 million contract with the Leafs in NHL free agency, brought the iconic trophy to his home state of New Jersey for a memorable celebration.
The festivities were captured on the venue’s Instagram account, which sees the 30-year-old posing with Lord Stanley for a picture.
From the Instagram account of Danielle Kermizian, or ‘danicannfit’, who was in attendance, a further glimpse into the event was shown. From the reel, it appears the venue had a photo session, framed pictures, and Stanley Cup-inspired cookies.
In another still image, the account shows Panthers towels and massive cutouts of the netminder's face.
Instagram.com/@danicannfit
The Edison, New Jersey native opted to sign with Toronto when weighing his options given the chance for more of an opportunity. Playing behind the solidified number-one goaltender in Florida, Sergei Bobrovsky, Stolarz was in search of more playing time. Given Joseph Woll’s track record of injuries over the past three seasons, an opportunity in Toronto was up for grabs.
Upon signing with the organization, Stolarz fielded questions from the media about his thought process in the decision, emphasizing a chance to consistently play being at the forefront of the move.
“I'm super excited. I mean, obviously it's a historic organization. I know a few of the guys on the team already, so the transition will be nice and obviously there's an opportunity,” said Storlarz. “I felt in Florida I kind of knew my role as a backup, whereas here, Woller and I are going to be competing for starts and as a goalie, that's all you can ask for.”
Stolarz appeared in 27 regular season games in his lone season with the Panthers last year. Though he didn’t see much playing time behind Bobrovsky, settling into a defined backup role, he still had a notable record of 16-7-2, with a 2.03 goals against average and a .925 save percentage – all while becoming a Stanley Cup champion.
Despite playing in just 109 NHL games since the 2016-17 season, splitting his NHL career between the Philadelphia Flyers, Edmonton Oilers, Anaheim Ducks, and Panthers, Stolarz is positioned to be a suitable ‘1b’ option for the Leafs, solidifying their goaltending tandem along with the resigning of Matt Murray for the 2024-25 season.
The former second-round pick is on the cheaper end but was well-known as one of the more dependable backups last season. If he finds another gear in a Leafs uniform, that will only benefit a team looking to get over the hump in the postseason.
