Report: Stolarz unwilling to negotiate extension during season

The Toronto Maple Leafs and Anthony Stolarz are working to find common ground on a contract extension, but the goaltender is unwilling to continue negotiating into the regular season, sources told The Athletic's Chris Johnston.

Stolarz is entering the final season of the two-year, $5-million contract he signed with the Leafs in summer 2024. If Stolarz signs an extension with Toronto, his new cap hit is likely to be higher than goaltending partner Joseph Woll's $3.67 million, Johnston notes.

Maple Leafs general manager Brad Treliving said earlier in September that he'd love to get Stolarz's extension done and revealed Wednesday that he's optimistic about reaching an agreement before the regular season begins Oct. 8.

"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 said.

Stolarz had a terrific first season with the Leafs, going 21-8-3 with a league-leading .926 save percentage. He missed time during the campaign due to knee surgery and was knocked out of the playoffs in Game 1 of Toronto's second-round matchup with the Florida Panthers.

The Maple Leafs are projected to have approximately $24.8 million in cap space for the 2026-27 season, which would be the first year of Stolarz's potential new deal.