Anthony Stolarz reveals why he joined Leafs

After the Toronto Maple Leafs made the decision to move on from goaltender Ilya Samsonov, they were in need of a reliable figure to pair with Joseph Woll. They found him when Anthony Stolarz, fresh off a Stanley Cup win with the Florida Panthers, agreed to a multi-year contract. 

Stolarz now has his name on the Stanley Cup as a member of the Panthers, something that he's hoping to bring to the Maple Leafs. As he put it, he saw an ideal opportunity when the Leafs came calling.

"I just thought that Toronto was the best fit just in terms of an opportunity," Stolarz explained. "A team that is a very strong contender. And, you know, obviously going to a city like Toronto, it's something I'm looking forward to and I'm really excited for it." 

As for his upcoming partnership with Joseph Woll, Stolarz indicated that his new teammate contacted him shortly after the contract was signed and that they also share the same agent. 

"I've heard nothing but great things [about Woll]," Stolarz said. "He reached out when I first signed and we just kind of, you know, shot a little text over. We have the same agent and my agent had nothing but great things to say about him."

Leafs general manager Brad Treliving sees great potential in Stolarz, as he indicated after securing his services in net.

"If you look at his career, he's played as a backup to some top-level goaltending, so there wasn't a lot of net there," Treliving explained shortly after the deal was signed. "There wasn't going to be a lot of starts. He's big, he's athletic. I think goaltenders as we all know they take some time to mature in their game. I think he's done that.

Last season while backing up Sergei Bobrovsky in Florida, Stolarz amassed a positive record of 16-7-2 with a 2.03 goals against average, .925 save percentage and a pair of shutouts. 

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