Anthony Stolarz’s size is getting attention for all the wrong reasons as Maple Leafs training camp opens.
The Toronto goaltender is listed at 6-foot-6 and, according to Kyle Cushman, 257 pounds. That number stands out, especially for a player expected to serve as the team’s backup this season behind veteran starter Sergei Bobrovsky.
There’s no denying Stolarz has the frame to carry more than most goalies. But the comparison to other netminders at similar heights makes the number look a lot less normal.
Hockey Reference and NHL.com show that goaltenders with comparable builds have typically played at much lighter weights. Ben Bishop, who stood 6-foot-7, played at 210 pounds.
Pekka Rinne, listed at 6-foot-5, was 217 pounds. Jacob Markstrom, who is the same height as Stolarz, weighs 207 pounds.
That matters because extra weight can slow a goalie down in the crease and put more stress on his joints. For Stolarz, that’s not a minor detail. His injury history makes it a real concern.
Last season, he missed a big stretch of games with an upper-body injury. He did make it back, but his play was rough after the return, and the team around him wasn’t exactly helping matters either.
The Leafs are treating this season as a reset, and that includes Stolarz. But showing up close to 260 pounds is not the cleanest way to start that process.
Training camp does give him a chance to trim down, and that possibility is part of why this is being watched so closely. Still, until that happens, the concern is obvious.
Toronto can’t afford for one of its goaltenders to lose time because the weight becomes a problem.
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