Opinion: Maple Leafs Must Turn To Anthony Stolarz Over Sergei Bobrovsky As Starting Goaltender

It's time to make a change. 

Sergei Bobrovsky might have come into the season as the Toronto Maple Leafs' No. 1 goalie. But after allowing five goals on 17 shots to the Seattle Kraken on Wednesday — including the game-winner on a saveable shot with 33 seconds remaining in the third period — it's clear he is no longer playing like a two-time Stanley Cup champion and Vezina Trophy winner.

Right now, he looks like an over-the-hill pitcher who has lost his fastball. Or in this case, a 38-year-old goalie who has lost sight of the puck.

However you want to phrase it, Bobrovsky shouldn't be in the net as the starting goalie anymore. That job should now belong to Anthony Stolarz.

The question is whether coach Jim Hiller, who has refused to pull Bobrovsky in a game so far, would be brave enough to bench a $7-million goalie in place of a backup earning half that amount.

If Hiller hopes to get the Maple Leafs into the playoffs, it should be an easy answer.

With the loss to Seattle, Bobrovsky is 3-5-2 with a 3.29 GAA and a .885 save percentage. He's allowed the second-most goals of any goalie this season. He's only had one game where he's allowed fewer than three goals. Twice, he's given up five goals.

And according to former goalie Stephen Valiquette, Bobrovsky's been partly (or solely) responsible for five of Toronto's eight losses.

That's 10 potential points frittered away. Ten points might not sound like much in an 84-game season. But in the crowded and competitive Atlantic Division, where six of the Eastern Conference's top-nine teams are located — it could be the difference between making or missing the playoffs. 

Bobrovsky has started 10 of Toronto's 15 games. Stolarz has played in five. And yet, Stolarz has one more win than Bobrovsky and far better numbers. 

Then again, slow starts are really nothing new for Bobrovsky.

Back in 2022-23, when Florida reached the Cup final for the first of three consecutive years, he began the year with only four wins in his first 13 games. When the playoffs began, he wasn't even the starting goalie. But after coming in for relief in Game 3, he took over the net and never looked back.

A year later, when Florida won its first Stanley Cup, Bobrovsky went 3-3-1 in October, only to catch fire in November and winning his next five starts. The following season, when the Panthers won the Cup again, he had a .892 save percentage in his first eight starts in October before going on a similar streak of winning four of his next five games.

So maybe this is just another early-season blip for a goalie who is typically at his best when the playoffs start and the games start to matter more. Of course, the danger for Bobrovsky is that you cannot show what you can do in the playoffs if you don't even make the playoffs.

This is where it gets tricky for Hiller. He's not just managing his goalies. He's also managing personalities, reputations — and egos. 

Bobrovsky wasn't brought to Toronto to be the backup. He was brought here to help Toronto get over the hump and hopefully win a championship. And while there is a temptation to wait this out until Bobrovsky finds his rhythm and gets his game in order game, the danger is that what we're seeing right now isn't a mirage or a month-long blip — but rather, it's the early signs of a goalie who isn't the same guy he once was.

If so, the next three years are going to be rough.

For now, it's time for Bobrovsky to enjoy some time on the bench or in the press box under the guise of load management. And it's time for Stolarz to get more starts and more chances to pick up some much-needed wins for a team that cannot afford to miss the playoffs again.

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