Thursday: Anaheim officially announced the two-year extension for Stolarz.
Wednesday: The Ducks have locked up their insurance goalie and fulfilled an expansion draft requirement in the process. CapFriendly reports (Twitter link) that they have signed netminder Anthony Stolarz to a two-year contract extension worth $950K per year. It is a one-way pact in both seasons.
The 25-year-old joined Anaheim last offseason after signing as a Group VI unrestricted free agent from Philadelphia. He ultimately had a similar role as he did with the Flyers as he was their third-string option and spent the majority of the season with AHL San Diego as a result, compiling a 2.66 GAA with a .922 SV% in 39 games. He did get into one game with the Ducks, allowing two goals on 36 shots in a losing effort to St. Louis back in March.
Stolarz has 26 career NHL games under his belt so it’s quite possible that he’ll be in the mix for the number two spot behind John Gibson with Ryan Miller going year-to-year at this stage of his career. However, the primary impetus for this contract would appear to be the looming Seattle expansion draft. The only signed goalie that was eligible for exposure (each team must leave one unprotected) was Gibson and clearly, they intended to protect him. Giving Stolarz a new deal paves the way for them to unprotect him and ensure Gibson stays put and for agreeing to do so, Stolarz gets a small raise and a couple of years of job security, even if he winds up being as the third-string option throughout.
The Flyers received 3 draft picks when they traded Sergei Bobrovsky to Columbus. 8 years later, Stolarz is the only one to make it to the NHL, and he didn’t get there with Philadelphia.
And he’s signing year to year on a rebuilding team during a flat-cap era
Almost didn’t make it
Not a great return for Bob
he did actually
better then Lyon…
But they just dumped him on waivers? Lol interesting take