Let the competition begin.
The Toronto Maple Leafs crease is about to get crowded fast, and each one of the top four goaltenders in the system appears to be sharpening his sword for the battle royale.
In one corner, we have presumptive No. 1 Anthony Stolarz, 32, who earned the net the last time the Leafs entered the post-season, garnered a four-year, $15-million contract extension before this nightmare season began, and was the first star of Toronto’s 4-2 win Sunday over the contending Minnesota Wild.
In another, we have Joseph Woll, 27, whom the Leafs drafted and developed for nearly a decade and was the primary reason Toronto pushed the Sabres to a shootout Saturday in Buffalo. Woll is equally dependable and affordable ($3.67 million AAV through 2027-28).
Both NHL netminders have a muddled history of excellence and injury and are conspiring to dismantle Team Tank.
But there are two more corners to go.
One belongs to Dennis Hildeby, 24, the first prospect up. The softspoken Swede comported himself well this season, posting an impressive .912 save percentage over 19 appearances, six of them suddenly in mid-game. Hildeby, like Woll before him, re-signed for cheap and will cost just $841,667 annually through 2027-28.
And now we have contender No. 4, Artur Akhtyamov, also 24 but less gigantic, who just re-upped through 2028-29 at a modest $900,000 AAV. Akhtyamov will be on a two-way deal next season, but then his contract improves to a one-way pact.
The Maple Leafs have four promising goalies locked up through 2027-28 at reasonable — and potentially bargain — salaries. Yet they only have one net to tend.
Something’s gotta give, eventually.
The Marlies’ Akhtyamov posted his first AHL shoutout of the season this weekend and can wear his 1.000 NHL save percentage (in 11 minutes of work) as a badge of honour. He should be granted another season of grooming, but he’s coming.
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Hildeby is a different story. Next season, he will no longer be eligible for waivers, and he should push Stolarz and Woll for starts.
Carrying three goalies in the show is always problematic, and the Maple Leafs simply cannot afford to risk losing an asset for nothing on waivers.
Which is why murmurs that Stolarz or Woll could be on the block kicked up last week as the trade deadline neared. (No goaltenders were traded.)
General manager Brad Treliving can afford to take his time, but this situation will eventually come to a head.
Good news for the Leafs is that teams seeking to upgrade in net won’t find a ton of options in free agency. Pittsburgh’s Stuart Skinner and Florida’s Sergei Bobrovsky lead the class, and both are candidates to re-sign.
That should fuel trade interest in Stolarz and Woll. The former has a 16-team no-trade list in Year 1 of his deal; the latter has no say.
And both Woll and Stolarz are upping their worth by playing so well down the stretch.
Deciding which one to trade won’t be easy.
“(Stolarz) competes hard. That’s just how he rolls. And I thought he was outstanding here tonight,” Morgan Rielly told reporters in Minnesota, following Sunday’s 36-save showing.
“No one’s folding the tent.”
“One of my attributes is competitiveness. It’s obviously s—– where we are this time of year. But it’s an 82-game season,” Stolars said. “We have to reset, play hard, start to establish a culture. We have a lot of callups and young guys. We have to show them the right way.”
Stolarz has a connection with Sunday’s game-winning goal scorer, Bo Groulx. The two go way back to Anaheim. Now, they’re linking to give the Maple Leafs a late-season win.
“I remember the guys were saying, ‘Stollie is the best backup in the NHL by a mile.’ And he was with Florida,” Groulx said.
“He came here, and he does what he does best. He’s a big competitor. He competes very well. He’s big in net. It’s hard to score on him, even in practices. You see it right now. He puts a lot of work in his craft, and it’s paying off right now.”
• Groulx has been a fantastic story these past eight days since earning his promotion from the AHL.
The Marlies’ leading scorer has surprised Berube with his ability to handle minutes in all situations, including difficult D-zone draws and penalty kills.
“He’s been strong on pucks and physical and playing the right way,” Berube praised.
In his two years toiling in the minors, Groulx set out to improve his explosiveness and his shot. With his two-goal showing in Minnesota, he’s already tallied three as a Leaf. He scored once in three seasons and 65 games as an Anaheim Duck.
A fine audition for a centre who could well make the Opening Night lineup in 2026-27.
Groulx is signed for a bargain $812,500 next season. Giddy yap.
“He’s had a big impact since he’s been up,” Rielly said. “You’re always happy for guys like that who are able to jump in and impact the game right away and help the team.”
• Oliver Ekman-Larsson went home from Buffalo and skipped Sunday’s game to attend the birth of his second child. The Leafs called up Henry Thrun but played Troy Stecher, who assisted on Groulx’s first strike.
• Underrated Minnesota acquisition: Vladimir Tarasenko, who was acquired for future considerations (i.e., for free).
The 34-year-old sniper looked to be done in Detroit last season, managing just 11 goals.
With his two tucks in 23 seconds Sunday against the Leafs, he’s up to 18 in 61 games. A mini resurgence that has Tarasenko third in goals on the contending team, and only four have come on the power play.
• We may one day look back at Radko Gudas’s kneeing of Auston Matthews — and five-game suspension — as a flashpoint event and catalyst for change.
Here was superstar Connor McDavid on player safety Sunday: “If every time there is a suspension, everybody complains about it, well, why don’t we take a look at the process and figure out if there’s a better way to make sure that both parties are happy? Because it seems like there’s a lot of frustration.”
• The Maple Leafs are gonna scrum it up every game the rest of the way, aren’t they?
“Hundred per cent. That’s what good teams do. They stick up for each other. That’s how you tell teams that we’re going to be a hard team to play against,” Groulx said. “It sucks that we had to adjust after Auston got injured, but I’m glad it happened. I’m glad we figured it out.
“You can tell the boys really care for each other.”