Toronto Maple Leafs fans breathed a sigh of relief when Anthony Stolarz unexpectedly took the ice as Joseph Woll’s backup goaltender in their Game 7 defeat against the Florida Panthers in May, especially as the goaltender later confirmed he was fully cleared from the concussion he sustained from an incident with Panthers forward Sam Bennett in Game 1 of their second-round series. A further positive sign was seeing the goaltender take the ice in full gear with his off-season goaltending coach George Bosak, a moment shared on the coach’s Instagram account on Friday.

Stolarz has been working with Bosak for a number of years when heading home for the off-season and has credited the coach for getting the most out of the goaltender in recent years. “Over the years, he has worked with me to sharpen my fundamentals and help me grow my game,” Stolarz said as a testimonial on the goalie coach’s website.

Stolarz signed with the Maple Leafs as a free agent last summer to a two-year deal worth $5 million. It’s safe to say he has provided excellent return on investment thus far. The goaltender played in a career-high 34 games where he posted a 21-8-3 record with a .926 save percentage in his first season with Toronto.

There was talk of him getting consideration for the Vezina with the numbers he was putting up until the discovery of a small foreign body in his knee forced the goaltender to miss approximately seven weeks.

Maple Leafs GM Brad Treliving Explains Why Anthony Stolarz Will Miss Roughly 4-6 Weeks For A Procedure On His KneeAn MRI of Stolarz' knee revealed a "loose body" in his knee.

Stolarz and Woll are expected to share the net next season, but beyond that, it’ll be interesting to see what the Leafs do. Stolarz is eligible to sign a contract extension although it doesn’t appear as though there is anything imminent on that front. From a numbers standpoint, Stolarz could see a big raise; however, his injury history and a lack of a consistent starter's workload may be a stumbling block in figuring out a term that is fair.

Where Was The Concussion Spotter For Maple Leafs Goaltender Anthony Stolarz Injury In Game 1?A collision between Florida Panthers forward Sam Bennett and Toronto Maple Leafs goaltender Anthony Stolarz in Game 1 of their second-round playoff clash left Stolarz visibly dazed and slow to get up.

Stolarz’s absence in the playoffs was particularly evident to the Leafs. Although Woll performed well in goal, Stolarz’s puck-moving ability was missed by Toronto’s skaters, and Florida successfully capitalized on that by rimming pucks in Toronto’s zone with high velocity beginning with the latter stages of Game 2 and beyond.

(Photo Credit instagram.com/@coach_bosak)

'What's This Horse About?': Maple Leafs Prospects React To Having Wild Colt At Development CampThe Toronto Maple Leafs prospects didn't know what they were getting themselves into when they rolled into Exhibition Place on Friday morning. 'I Saw My Name And I Was Going Crazy': Maple Leafs Prospect Rylan Fellinger Describes Getting Drafted Into The NHL While Attending PromRylan Fellinger, the Toronto Maple Leafs’ sixth-round selection (185th overall) in the 2025 NHL Draft, had a quite unique draft experience: he wasn't at the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles when his name was called. Instead, the 6-foot-4, 200-pound defenseman was in Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario, attending his high school prom. 'Time Will Tell': Is Maple Leafs Prospect Easton Cowan Ready For The NHL Next Season?One year ago, it was only the NHL or OHL for Toronto Maple Leafs prospect Easton Cowan. However, now, it'll be NHL or AHL for the 20-year-old.

In July 2024, Montmagny, PQ native Alex Barre-Boulet signed a one-year, one-way contract with the Montreal Canadiens. With 68 NHL games under his belt, the 28-year-old left-shot center was hoping to be able to make the team in October. He made the opening night roster, played the first two games, but was kept off the scoreboard and was swiftly waived and assigned to the Laval Rocket when he went unclaimed.

In 64 games with the AHL team, he put up 63 points, leading the team, seven points ahead of veteran Laurent Dauphin and 18 points ahead of Jared Davidson. He was also fourth in goals with 22, just four short of Dauphin’s team-leading 26 lamplighters. The numbers were there, but the recalls never came.

Two Canadiens Prospects Invited To Team Canada Summer Showcase
Canadiens: What Will The Lineup Look Like?
TSN Releases Its Preliminary Olympic Roster For Team Canada And It Includes Two Canadiens

Owen Beck played 12 games with the Canadiens, just like Joshua Roy and Oliver Kapanen had, before being loaned back to their Swedish Teams. Veteran Lucas Condotta also got two games, and Rafael Harvey-Pinard got one. It made one thing clear: the Canadiens were prioritizing youngsters rather than more mature players, and it was easy to see Barre-Boulet’s departure coming.

He signed a one-year, two-way contract with the Colorado Avalanche that will pay him $775,000 if he remains in the NHL and $475,000 if he is assigned to the minors. His deal with the Canadiens last season was a one-way contract, meaning he received his full NHL salary for the entire year, even though he spent almost all of it in the minors. Interestingly, he chose to sign a two-way contract elsewhere; perhaps he feels like he’ll have better opportunities to get some NHL action in Colorado.

Losing its leading scorer will hurt the Rocket, but at the same time, players like Beck and Kapanen need to step up and move forward. More ice time won’t hurt them, and in the long run, it will be better for their development. Hopefully, Barre-Boulet lands on his feet with the Avs and gets to see some NHL action.

Photo credit: David Kirouac-Imagn Images

---

Canadiens stories, analysis, breaking news, and more! Tap the star to add us to your favorites on Google News, never to miss a story.  

Follow Karine on X @KarineHains Bluesky @karinehains.bsky.social and Threads @karinehains.

Bookmark The Hockey News Canadiens' page for all the news and happenings around the Canadiens.

Join the discussion by signing up to the Canadiens' roundtable on The Hockey News.

Like many teams around the NHL, the New Jersey Devils have had a busy start to July. They notably brought in Connor Brown and Evgenii Dadonov through free agency to improve their forward depth. However, they also quietly made a trade.

On July 2, the Devils acquired forward Thomas Bordeleau from the San Jose Sharks in exchange for Shane Bowers. While this is a small trade, fans should be keeping an eye on Bordeleau next season.

Not too long ago, Bordeleau was considered one of the Sharks' most promising prospects. While his stock dropped in recent years, a change of scenery could be exactly what helps the 2020 second-round pick get things back on track.

Bordeleau also showed promise at the NHL level with the Sharks during the 2023-24 season. In 27 games with the Pacific Division club, he recorded six goals and 11 points. While these are not jaw-dropping numbers, they do demonstrate that he has the potential to provide decent depth offensive production if given the chance to play at the NHL level. He also had five assists in eight games for the Sharks in 2021-22.

With Bordeleau being just 23 years old, there is still time for him to take another step forward and prove that he can be a full-time NHL player. He has skill, so there is no real harm in the Devils taking a shot on him, especially when noting that they only gave up an AHLer in Bowers to get him. 

It is going to be very interesting to see how much of an impact Bordeleau can make for the Devils. from here. At a minimum, he should be a good addition to the Utica Comets' roster, but the possibility of him making the jump to New Jersey's roster should not be ruled out. 

Devils Made Great Move Signing Former Oilers ForwardOne of the New Jersey Devils' top objectives this off-season was to improve their forward depth. They have done just that early on this summer, as they have brought in a few new forwards. This includes former Edmonton Oilers winger Connor Brown.  

Photo Credit:  © David Gonzales-Imagn Images

Former Red Wings winger Todd Bertuzzi makes return to pro hockey at 50 years old with Cambridge area team. 

The Red Wings haven't seen winger Todd Bertuzzi lace up since 2014 but a report on Friday may shock some fans. At 50 years old, it was announced that Bertuzzi would be joining a senior AAA team called the Cambridge Hornets in the Allan Cup Hockey League. 

After playing 1,159 NHL games and recording 770 points, he now joins a local hockey club close to where he coaches a youth team called the Cambridge Redhawks. 

Bookmark The Hockey News Detroit Red Wings team site to stay connected to the latest news, game-day coverage, and player features. 

Bertuzzi played his entire junior career in the Cambridge area as he played for the Guelph Storm of the OHL for four seasons. He would go on to get drafted 23rd overall by the New York Islanders in the 1993 NHL entry draft. 

Besides playing for the Red Wings and Islanders, Bertuzzi also saw time with the Canucks, Panthers and Flames. 

His most memorable season was back in the 2002-03 season where the Sudbury native put up 46 goals and 51 points for 97 points through a full 82-game season with the Canucks. He was named an all-star and would continue to produce in the 60-70 point range before maturing to a 30-40 point player in old age. 

Never miss a story by adding us to your Google News favorites.