The Toronto Maple Leafs have done well of late in locking up goaltenders Joseph Woll and Anthony Stolarz to team-friendly contracts.

In their first year as a tandem this past season, Stolarz and Woll thrived, splitting the duties pretty much evenly and giving the Maple Leafs a chance to win far more often than not. 

But Stolarz came to Toronto’s organization on a short-term, two-year contract at $2.5 million per season – so speculation's been building that he was looking to sign a longer-term contract extension with the Buds. This week, Stolarz and Leafs GM Brad Treliving confirmed that speculation.

“I'm confident, until proven otherwise, that we can find something that's going to work, and hopefully we can do that in short order,” Treliving told Toronto media.

Stolarz played a career-high 34 games in 2024-25, posting a 21-8-3 record, a 2.14 goals-against average and .926 save percentage.

“We’ve had some good talks, some good dialect, so hopefully we get something here done soon,” the 31-year-old told reporters.

You don’t make those comments until a deal is close at hand, so you have to imagine an extension for Stolarz is coming sooner than later.

Woll, meanwhile, put up a 27-14-1 mark for Toronto in 42 appearances, and because of Stolarz’s injury in the second round of the Stanley Cup playoffs, Woll and him played seven games each.

But with Woll signed through the 2027-28 season at a salary cap hit of $3.67 million, the question arises about whether the Leafs are about to fork over big money to keep their tandem intact. And would it be better if Woll or Stolarz emerged as a workhorse No. 1 option between the pipes for the Buds, or is a 1A-1B tandem the best way to handle Toronto’s goaltending needs in the short and long terms?

To answer those questions, if Stolarz gets a new deal with a cap hit of around $4 million to $5 million, that would mean the Leafs are still spending the relatively minor amount of $7 million to $8 million per year. That’s significantly less than teams like the Vancouver Canucks, New York Rangers and Florida Panthers are paying their two netminders combined, and that will allow Treliving to have some cap flexibility moving forward.

Why Anthony Stolarz Wants Contract Extension Done Before Maple Leafs' Season Starts <a href="https://www.nhl.com/mapleleafs/player/anthony-stolarz-8476932">Anthony Stolarz</a> wants to get all of the contract stuff out of the way before the Toronto Maple Leafs’ season begins.

At the same time, the Leafs still have young goalies in the organization – including Swede Dennis Hildeby and Russians Artur Akhtyamov and Vyacheslav Peksa – in the pipeline. We know that goalies can deal with health issues, so goalie depth is important in the short haul and the long term. One of those three will be the backup if Woll or Stolarz is sidelined for any notable length of time, unless Treliving acquires a more experienced hand to be No. 3 in the organization.

The biggest difference between Woll and Stolarz in Toronto may come down to no-trade protection for one or both of the two. Stolarz currently has a modified no-trade clause allowing him to reject a trade to one of eight teams of his choosing, while Woll doesn’t have any no-trade protection, although it would be shocking if he doesn’t get some form of a no-trade when he needs a new contract in three years.

For now, though, it’s clear Treliving and the rest of Maple Leafs brass are thrilled with the early returns from this Leafs goalie tandem. And that’s why Stolarz can feel confident in his security with Toronto. The match for both goaltenders feels strong, and while things can change over time, the fact is that Woll and Stolarz have delivered solid results. It's best not to mess with the strategy.

Each netminder deserves to feel good about their future for the Blue and White. And that’s likely to be reflected in their financial futures until further notice while still making sense for the squad.