Training camp is rolling along, and the Toronto Maple Leafs roster is starting to take shape. There’s a lot of activity under the hood—contracts getting sorted, young players trying to earn their spot, and veterans being carefully managed. Anthony Stolarz is officially in the fold for four more years, while Easton Cowan is still making his case. Meanwhile, some familiar names hover on the edge of the roster, waiting to see if this season will be their moment or a trip to the minors.
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As we inch closer to opening night, the questions are piling up. Who will take the second goalie role? How will the Maple Leafs balance youth and experience? And which fringe forwards will find themselves exposed to waivers? Training camp isn’t just about skating drills and scrimmages—it’s the proving ground for decisions that will echo all season.
Item One: Anthony Stolarz Contract Makes Sense
The big announcement this weekend was that the Maple Leafs had signed Stolarz to a four-year, $3.75 million-per-season contract. The dollar value and term make sense for both the team and Stolarz.
The Maple Leafs extended Joseph Woll last season for three years at $3.66 million per season. Comparing the two goalies’ performances last season, Woll started 41 games and won 27, giving him a .671 winning percentage. Stolarz started 33 games and won 21, a .682 percentage—slightly better than Woll’s. Stolarz also had a stronger save percentage (.926 to Woll’s .909) and a lower goals-against average (2.14 to 2.73).
In the postseason, the gap widened. Both goalies made seven appearances. Stolarz went 4-2 with a .901 SV% and 2.19 GAA. Woll finished 3-4 with an .886 SV% and 3.56 GAA. Stolarz was better than Woll, no question. But he’s also 31 years old—five years older than Woll. Both have dealt with injuries, and neither has an established track record as a true NHL starter.
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So, the Maple Leafs have the older Stolarz and the younger Woll. Stolarz is regarded as the better goalie right now, but not by enough to be clearly named the No. 1 starter. With Woll currently on a leave of absence for personal reasons, both remain key pieces for this season. It makes sense that Stolarz would push for a slightly higher average annual value (AAV) than Woll, and he got it—by just enough to say so.
More importantly, he landed a longer term by one year. In a position as unpredictable as goaltending, that extra $3.75 million is guaranteed. He’ll also be 36 by the time the deal expires, an age at which very few NHL players are still competing. For the Maple Leafs, the term is a bit of a gamble, but one mitigated by the rapidly increasing salary cap. All in all, it’s a fair deal for both sides.
Item Two: Is Cowan Doing Enough to Make the Opening-Day Roster?
When head coach Craig Berube talks about Easton Cowan, it’s all praise for the 20-year-old rookie. Still, Berube has yet to commit to whether Cowan has done enough to secure a roster spot. The team does not need to rush him—there are plenty of forwards with NHL experience.
If you ranked Cowan’s current place on the depth chart, he’d be hard-pressed to crack the top 12 or 13. The question is what’s best for his development. The usual answer for an offensively talented young player is to log top-line minutes in the American Hockey League (AHL) rather than bottom-six minutes in the NHL. But Berube has hinted that he wants Cowan to develop the grind-it-out, defence-first habits usually associated with third- or fourth-line roles. Cowan might stick with the team to gain exactly that kind of experience.
For years, the Maple Leafs’ “core four” contracts forced them to live tight against the cap. Decisions about younger players often came down to waiver eligibility. That’s no longer as pressing. Toronto currently has about $1.5 million in cap space, and unlike in the past, they can carry a full 23-man roster. Still, Cowan’s waiver-exempt status could work against him. To keep him, someone else may need to be traded or exposed to waivers.
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Before training camp, Cowan’s chances looked 50-50. He would need to dazzle to win a spot, and while he’s been good, he hasn’t quite dazzled yet. With two preseason games left, he still has a chance. But the odds of him starting in Toronto look slimmer now—it’s more likely he begins the season with the Toronto Marlies. The bigger question: how long before he forces his way back up?
Item Three: Kampf, Jarnkrok, and Robertson Are on the Precipice
Speaking of waivers, three players—David Kampf, Calle Jarnkrok, and Nicholas Robertson—appear to be on the bubble. All three were rumoured to be trade candidates over the summer, and although they remain in camp, their futures are far from secure. With so many NHL-ready forwards, someone has to go.
If you had to bet, Kampf appears to be the most vulnerable. He’s a known quantity: strong defensively, but little offensive upside. If no trade materializes, Toronto could stash him in the minors. If claimed on waivers, the team gains $2.4 million in cap space. If not, his $1.3 million cap hit stays on the books, but he remains available for call-up.
Next is Jarnkrok. Injuries kept him sidelined for much of last season, and Berube hasn’t had a real chance to evaluate him. While he’s defensively reliable, his offence has dipped—just 11 goals over the last two seasons after a 20-goal year in 2022–23. At 34, smaller in stature, and earning $2.1 million, he might not fit the mold of what Berube wants in his bottom six.
Robertson is the wild card. His size and injury history are concerns, but at 24, his upside is still real. When healthy, he’s scored at a 20-goal pace. For a team looking for scoring depth, he’s a tempting waiver claim. That risk alone makes it more likely the Maple Leafs keep him, even as a 13th forward, rather than lose him for nothing.
What’s Next for the Maple Leafs?
Training camp is more than drills—it’s the story unfolding before your eyes. Keep an eye on Cowan in the next few preseason games, and watch which forwards survive the waiver wire. Stolarz’s stability in net sets the tone, and how the Maple Leafs balance youth, experience, and cap space will shape opening night.
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This isn’t about scores on the board; it’s about the strategy, the chess pieces, and the roster puzzle coming together. For Maple Leafs fans, the preseason storylines are heating up, and the decisions being made now will have a lasting impact well past October.
[Note: I want to thank long-time Maple Leafs fan Stan Smith for collaborating with me on this post. Stan’s Facebook profile can be found here.]
