The Toronto Maple Leafs signed free agent Anthony Stolarz to a two-year, $5 million contract and also re-signed fellow goaltender Matt Murray to a one-year, $875,000 deal on Tuesday.
Stolarz, 30, played 27 games (24 starts) for the Stanley Cup champion Florida Panthers last season, posting a 16-7-2 record and leading the NHL with a 2.03 goals-against average and a .925 save percentage (minimum of 25 games).
The backup to starter Sergei Bobrovsky, Stolarz appeared in one playoff game, stopping 16 of 19 shots in an 8-1 loss to the Edmonton Oilers in Game 4 of the Stanley Cup Final.
In 108 NHL regular-season games with the Philadelphia Flyers (2016-19), Oilers (2019), Anaheim Ducks (2019-23) and Panthers (2023-24), he has a combined record of 43-31-9 with a 2.69 GAA and a .915 save percentage.
Philadelphia selected Stolarz in the second round (45th overall) of the 2012 NHL Draft.
“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,” Maple Leafs general manager Brad Treliving said. “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.
“I think he’s been, obviously, around an elite-level goalie in (Sergei) Bobrovsky. The experience he’s gone through, although he’s not in the net but he’s been on a real good team this past season. He’s been through those experiences, but just really technically sound.”
Murray, 30, missed all of last season following bilateral hip surgery in October. It was the final year of his four-year, $25 million contract he signed with Ottawa in 2020.
Murray played just 26 games with Toronto in 2022-23, finishing 14-8-2 with a one shutout, a 3.01 GAA and a .903 save percentage.
A two-time Stanley Cup champion with Pittsburgh, Murray is 146-86-24 with a .910 save percentage, a 2.79 GAA and 15 shutouts with the Penguins (2015-20), Senators (2020-22) and Maple Leafs. He also is 29-21-0 with a .921 save percentage and a 2.18 GAA in 51 playoff games (50 starts).
Toronto acquired Murray in July 2022 from the Senators.
Source: www.espn.com