Report: Maple Leafs Sign Defenseman Oliver Ekman-Larsson to Four-Year, $14 Million Contract; Add Goaltender Anthony Stolarz on Two-Year, $5 Million Deal
The Toronto Maple Leafs add a pair of Stanley Cup winners to their roster.
It was first announced the club has made another addition to their blueline, signing veteran defenseman Oliver Ekman-Larsson to a four-year, $14 million contract that carries an average annual value of $3.5 million per season, Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reports.
The Leafs were said to have an interest in Ekman-Larsson on Saturday following the club’s trade for the rights of newly signed defenseman Chris Tanev. Along with Nikita Zadorov, Ekman-Larsson emerged as a prime target for the Leafs if they could make the money and term work.
Ekman-Larsson joined the Panthers on a one-year, $2.5 million deal after being bought out with the Vancouver Canucks in June of 2023. His move to Florida proved to be a worthwhile move by the Cats, playing a pivotal role in solidifying the club’s backend down the stretch – resulting in the organization’s first ever Stanley Cup championship.
In 80 regular season games played, he scored nine goals paired with 23 assists for 32 points. In the postseason, he added another two goals and four assists through 22 games en route to the Stanley Cup Victory in Sunrise.
Now joining the Maple Leafs, Ekman-Larsson could maintain a leadership role while helping to solidify the blueline in Toronto. At 32 years old, he has over 1000 games played in the NHL if you include the postseason and has consistently anchored a strong two-way game with experience on a contender.
Addition of goaltender Anthony Stolarz
Not long after the move to add Ekman-Larsson, Friedman added the Leafs have signed goaltender Anthony Stolarz to a two-year, $5 million deal that carries a cap hit of $2.5 million per season.
It was known the Leafs were in the market to pursue a tandem partner to goaltender Joseph Woll, who the club extended Monday, and after Laurent Brossoit signed with the Chicago Blackhawks, the Leafs swooped in to sign Stolarz – a goalie who has major upside.
Stolarz, 30, will serve as a feasible 1b goalie who has experience on his resume, an appreciable option for Treliving who was looking to find an established netminder in this particular role to play alongside Woll in Toronto. In 27 appearances in the regular season in 2023-24, Stolarz had a notable record of 16-7-2, with a 2.03 goals against average and a .925 save percentage – not to mention, a Stanley Cup champion.
Although inexpensive, Stolarz is a competitive option for the Leafs – one that could be of great importance if he plays beyond the number beside the dollar symbol on his contract.
According to PuckPedia.com, the Maple Leafs are committed to 20 players for a total cap hit of $85,544,667, leaving $2,455,333 in cap space remaining to sign anywhere between two to five more players.
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