When you’re four games into the 2024-25 regular season, you never want to jump to conclusions and think that an offseason move was the best thing to happen to a team. It’s a small sample and there’s still plenty of hockey to be played and things can quickly go south.
However, for the Toronto Maple Leafs, they’re already starting to see the payoff with some of their big offseason additions. The play of Anthony Stolarz, Chris Tanev and Oliver Ekman-Larsson is already having a positive impact on the Maple Leafs in the regular season. You can’t help but notice their play as they each bring an individual skillset that boosts the team and they have come as advertised as the team is off to a strong 3-1-0 start.
All three have stood out and the hope is that they can continue to elevate their play as the season progresses. Both Tanev and Ekman-Larsson have improved their blueline on both sides of the puck and Stolarz has been the definition of consistency in net. The Maple Leafs needed to bring in players like them and they’re starting to reap the benefits as a result.
Stolarz’s Calming Presence in Net
Cool, calm and collective. Those are traits that the Maple Leafs haven’t had for some time in the crease. Now, they can say they have that in Stolarz early on in the season.
Over the last few seasons, they were struggling to find answers in net. Ilya Samsonov looked to have shown that, but just as when there was promise, he returned to his old habits of being over-aggressive and giving up bad goals. The hope was that Joseph Woll could be the answer, though his health has already come into question before the season even started. He has started to return to practice but the one question mark about him is already making fans bite their nails.
The good news is that Stolarz has now assumed the starter role with his stellar play to start the season. Stolarz already ranks in the top-10 in both save percentage and goals against average, with .940 and 1.70 respectively. Among goalies with a min. of 100 minutes played, he’s fifth in five-on-five goals saved above average with 2.85 and has only allowed one high danger goal against. It helps that he takes up a good chunk of the net, being 6-foot-6, 243 pounds, but his mobility, composure and puck tracking has been outstanding. In high-pressure situations, he doesn’t panic and manages to still keep the puck out.
Stolarz has had strong numbers over his career, a .915 SV% and a 2.66 GAA. Though he doesn’t have the extensive experience as a starter where he played more than 25 games in a season twice in his eight-year career. While he’s 31-years-old, the big question is, can he handle a big workload if the team needs him to after being a backup for so long? He’s been called upon to do so early on and the fact that he continues to have solid outings is a great sign.
Tanev’s Steady Defensive Play
When the Maple Leafs acquired the rights for Tanev from the Dallas Stars at the draft, there was potential for this to work. He has already established himself as an elite, shutdown defender and it’s a player that general manager Brad Treliving is familiar with as he spoke highly of him. Though, he is getting up there in age as he’s 34 and he has sustained a number of injuries in the past. However, Treliving wasn’t worried about that. Early on in the season, Tanev has come as advertised as a reliable partner for Morgan Rielly and as a top defender.
So far, Tanev has only been on for one 5-on-5 goal against and 6 high danger chances against, showing that he can minimize the damage in front of the net. While his possession numbers when he’s on the ice are very steady considering the tough competition he faces and minutes he logs, he was brought in to be a calming presence on the backend and so far, so good.
Tanev has shown that he can do it all. From defending the rush, having an active stick, keeping players to the outside and clogging up the middle of ice and getting into lanes to block shots (13), he’s doing it all. Given how the team’s penalty kill was a concern last season, there appears to be a 180-degree effect happening as the system that Lane Lambert introduced has helped tremendously. With Tanev logging 4:39 of ice time per game on the penalty kill, he’s definitely a fixture that has given the Maple Leafs an 83.3% success rate.
Related: Mulling the Maple Leafs: Joseph Woll Might Be An Expendable Piece
The Maple Leafs defense has looked steadier and more competitive within their own end. Having Tanev in the fold is definitely beneficial for them as they look to turn the tide after they struggled last season.
A More Complete Ekman-Larsson
When the Maple Leafs signed Ekman-Larsson to a four-year deal, the hope was that the team would be getting the rejuvenated and highly motivated puck-moving defender that helped the Florida Panthers win the Stanley Cup.
Needless to say, that version of him has showed as he appears to once again be a well-rounded, puck-moving defender, but with a lot more layers to his game. He has three assists– all at even strength– in four games and has already moved his way up onto the top power play unit. His ability to walk the blue line, find open spaces for a pass or shot has really made them more unpredictable as he’s quicker with his decision-making.
Even at 5-on-5 with Jake McCabe as his regular partner, the results are showing. The pairing hasn’t been on for a goal against and have a 58.70 shots for percentage. While he hasn’t found the back of the net, he ranks seventh in shots by a defender with 15, showing his ability to get pucks on goal.
While he’s shown to be effective in the offensive zone, he’s aggressive to apply pressure when he doesn’t have the puck. He’s not known to be physical but when he has a chance, he isn’t afraid to lay the body. Playing under Paul Maurice with the Panthers sure did wonders for his game last season as his aggressive nature on both sides of the puck is being displayed that was evident.
Related: Pacioretty Could Feel the Pinch of Maple Leafs’ Forward Depth After Healthy Scratch
Even though it’s early on in the season, you can’t help but notice the impact the three biggest offseason signings for the Maple Leafs are having. Stolarz is a model of consistency in net and Tanev and Ekman-Larsson both bring something to a blue line that was in a need of a shakeup.
We’ll need to see a bigger sample of what they can do, but for now, they’ve been some of the best players this season.
Statistics from Natural Stat Trick and NHL.
