'Going Back and Forth': Maple Leafs Headed Towards Extension With Key Player

The Toronto Maple Leafs appeared to have found their starting goaltender when they signed former Florida Panthers goalie Anthony Stolarz to a 2 year contract last summer, just weeks after he backed up Sergei Bobrovsky to the Stanley Cup.

Stolarz had a great 1st year with the Maple Leafs, going 21-8-3 with an impressive .926 SV% and 4 shutouts.

He's now going into the final year of the deal, and the Maple Leafs and he would like to come to terms on a new contract. But based on the latest report from analyst Elliotte Friedman, they're "going back and forth" between what was a considerable gap in negotiations.

Stolarz has an AAV (average annual value) of $2.5 million, which is a bargain considering his record last year.

Stolarz helped the Maple Leafs beat the divisional foe Ottawa Senators in 6 games in the ECSF, which was just their 2nd postseason series win since 2004.

They then moved on to play Stolarz's former team, the Panthers. It was a controversial play from ex-teammate Sam Bennett in which he made contact with Stolarz's head in Game 1 that knocked him out for the rest of the series.

Joseph Woll was forced to take over for Stolarz, and while he shut out the Panthers in Game 6 to force Game 7, his poor performances in Game 5 and 7 are what mostly stood out.

Many Maple Leafs fans feel the result would have been different had Stolarz been healthy for the series, and were upset that Bennett faced no punishment from the NHL over the controversial play.