Maple Leafs' Stolarz Wasn't Wrong In Calling Out His Teammate — He Was Wrong In Walking The Comments Back

Toronto goalie Anthony Stolarz may have crossed the line when he called out one of his teammates for failing to backcheck on an overtime goal against Seattle on Saturday.

But the bigger mistake was in walking back those comments two days later, for fear that someone's feelings were hurt.

"I get paid to stop the puck, too," Stolarz told reporters on Monday. "At the end of the day, it's on me as well."

Sound familiar?

Three years ago, former Leafs coach Sheldon Keefe found himself in a similar situation, when he blasted the leadership group following an early-season loss to one of the worst teams in the NHL. 

"The difference between us and Arizona is that we have elite players — and our elite players didn’t play like elite players," Keefe said at the time.

A day later, after Mitch Marner reportedly took offense to his coach's comments, Keefe said he used the "wrong words to try to describe what I was trying to describe."

Keefe was fired at the end of the following season, following a first-round loss to Boston. Marner, meanwhile, was traded to Vegas this summer after a second-round playoff loss to Florida.

And yet, nothing has really changed in Toronto, where protecting the feelings of the top-paid stars still takes precedent over trying to build a culture that can actually win a championship.

The Hockey News Big Show: Was Stolarz Right To Call Out The Maple Leafs? Devan Dubnyk, Ryan Kennedy and Michael Traikos discuss Anthony Stolarz calling out the Leafs’ start, the NHL’s biggest threats, Dustin Wolf’s play and more.

Have they not learned anything? Are the players so delusional that they think that the way they have been playing for the past several years is still good enough? Are they so thin-skinned that they can't take a hint of criticism and self-reflection?

On Saturday, Stolarz was correct in identifying Nylander as someone who missed an assignment on the decisive goal. The failed backcheck ended up costing Toronto only one point in the standings. But left unchecked, it could cost the Leafs far more.

Stolarz knows it. And anyone who has been watching them team go out early in the playoffs for the past decade probably knows it as well.

That's why a goalie who has been in Toronto for less than two years spoke up. That's why he sounded so frustrated. Angry, even.

"A lot of guys have been here for a while," Stolarz, who smashed his stick after the 4-3 loss to Seattle, told reporters. "Overtime you can't let someone beat you up the ice there. It's a clear-cut breakaway. You want to be on the ice in that situation, you have to work hard, you've go to work back. It cost us a point there."

'I Get Paid To Stop The Puck Too': Maple Leafs' Anthony Stolarz Doesn't Regret Comments, But Says He Can Be Better Stolarz might've been fiery on Saturday night after an overtime loss to the Kraken, but he was the completely different two days later.

Some didn't like the way that Dubnyk shifted the blame to his teammates. But former NHL goalie Devan Dubnyk told The Hockey News' Big Show that there was likely a deeper meaning to Stolarz's overall message.

"I don’t like calling out a play where he could have stopped the puck," said Dubnyk. "When comments like this happen, I think there’s more to it. He’s probably angry about something else."

Indeed, Stolarz has only been here for a little more than a year, but he's already seen enough to make him worried. Six games into the season, the Leafs entered Tuesday's game against the New Jersey Devils in third place in the Atlantic Division standings. Like the years before, they are playing good enough to probably qualify the playoffs. But the question is whether they will be good enough to go deep into the playoffs — much less win a Stanley Cup? 

According to Stolarz, don't count on it unless something changes.

Remember, Stolarz was the backup goalie when Florida won the Cup in 2024. He knows what a winning team looks like in June and — more importantly — what it looks like in October. 

Right now, the Leafs don't look like a winning team. And Stolarz is right in calling it out before it gets to be too late in the season to change it.

'It's Frustration, We All Prefer To Stay In The Room' Maple Leafs React to Athony Stolarz’s Scathing Criticism While Maple Leafs head coach Craig Berube seemed to agree with Stolarz's words, he would have preferred things to stay in the room.

"It could be a good thing," said Dubnyk. "Personality wise, if he wants to talk and then go out there and stand on his head, that’s great, if that’s going to motivate him, if that’s going to motivate his teammates. He’s got his relationship with them. I don’t think this is a strained relationship thing."

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