The Toronto Maple Leafs are undergoing a bit of early season drama, it appears. Goalteder Anthony Stolarz publicly called out his teammates after a 4-3 loss to the Seattle Kraken on Saturday night. The Maple Leafs remain one of the better teams in the NHL. However, those comments certainly showed that there is still work to be done.
This sort of criticism coming out after six games is concerning, as well. It's not entirely unheard of, of course. In fact, Detroit Red Wings coach Todd McLellan called out his team after their first game against the Montreal Canadiens. Just because it's not unheard of doesn't mean there isn't something to worry about, though.
For now, it appears to be water under the bridge. William Nylander was asked about the comments from his goaltender. And he mentioned that the entire locker room is frustrated with how they are beginning the season.
“I think there’s frustration maybe a little bit in the locker room,” Nylander said, via NHL.com. “I think we can play better but I think our game has been growing. What are we 3-2-1? It is what it is, but we are a tight-knit group and we move forward from here.
“It’s all good. We’re teammates, he’s a great guy. It’s nothing we need to talk about (in the media). He talked to me after and it’s all good.”
Maple Leafs' Anthony Stolarz explains source of frustration
The Maple Leafs did not put their best foot forward on Saturday. They gave Seattle some easy looks in the game. And those are the sorts of chances a team like the Kraken can take advantage of. Moreover, they didn't seem interested in making life hard for their opponents.
Another bad look came in the third period. Toronto defenseman Brandon Carlo stood and watched as Kraken forward Mason Marchment ran into Stolarz. And it wasn't until Stolarz reacted that anyone on the Maple Leafs jumped to his defense.
MARCHMENT CRASHES INTO STOLARZ AND CHAOS ENSUES!!! 😵😵 pic.twitter.com/If94ZfpMaU
— B/R Open Ice (@BR_OpenIce) October 19, 2025
Stolarz has a Stanley Cup to his name. He knows what a team needs to do in order to achieve the goals the Maple Leafs ostensibly aspire to. It's because of the potential he sees in this team that he is as frustrated as he is.
“We are on the cusp of doing great things so that’s why I’m so passionate about it,” Stolarz said Monday, via NHL.com. “I feel we can go all the way.
“Our goal is to win the Stanley Cup and in order to get there it’s a process. We’ve had some discussions, and we love each other. It’s a family in here.”
The Maple Leafs are back in action on Tuesday night when they take on Jesper Bratt and the New Jersey Devils.
