Former Edmonton Oilers goalie leading NHL in this vital statistic
Photo credit: Edmonton Oilers Raw
Prior to tonight's game against the San Jose Sharks, former Edmonton Oilers goaltender Anthony Stolarz Is leading the NHL in all qualified NHL goalies with a .927 save percentage.
Now playing for the Toronto Maple Leafs, Stolarz have become a fixture in the Maple Leafs lineup as his numbers have been as sharp as previous goalies in Freddie Andersen, Ed Belfour and Curtis Joseph.
Oilers never gave Stolarz a chance to prove himself
Stolarz Was drafted in 2012 by the Philadelphia Flyers, in the second round 45th overall. After being traded from the Flyers he was then traded to the Oilers on February 15th, 2019.
Stolarz was only given two starts where he was unable to show what he could do to which he was then an unrestricted free agent.
His career, he has been a perennial backup and what has surprised many pundits is that his numbers have been sparkling as over the last six years he's only had one season where his save percentage was not below .920.
After winning the Stanley Cup with the Florida Panthers last season, he chose not to sign with the team and was picked up by the Maple Leafs where general manager Brad Treliving gave high praise for Stolarz and decided to make him part of his tandem alongside Maple Leafs Joseph Woll.
Oilers goaltending still a question mark going into the deadline
Oilers goaltending has been a major question mark over the past couple of weeks as many have felt the team needs to upgrade that position as the NHL trade deadline will be on Friday March 7th.
General manager Stan Bowman feels otherwise that the Oilers may not need to upgrade that position as he could change others while the team plays better in front of their goaltenders.
Some names have surfaced and linked to the Oilers including John Gibson and Karel Vejmelka but each player will carry a certain cost to the Oilers and it remains to be seen on whether Bowman would be willing to pay that cost.
The Oilers have two games remaining between today and the trade deadline as they face off against the Anaheim Ducks and the Montreal Canadiens on Tuesday and on Thursday both games at 9:00 PM Eastern.
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