We’re now just over a week away from the Toronto Maple Leafs home opener against the Montreal Canadiens and things are beginning to fall into place.
A big piece of that puzzle was getting Anthony Stolarz’s contract done before the regular season, locking him in for four more years. Joining Leafs Morning Take on Monday was legendary Toronto Maple Leaf Darryl Sittler, who gave his kudos to the team for making the smart move to secure Stolarz long term.
“I think it’s awesome,” Sittler said. “You’re not gonna go anywhere in this league, especially the playoffs, without outstanding goaltending. It was unfortunate last year, might have made a difference in that series, we’ll never know. But the fact that he’s such a big guy, covers a lot of net, and he had great success last year. There’s no reason he can’t continue having a great season this year. You gotta have that if you’re gonna go anywhere.”
Stolarz’s team-friendly deal is part of a changing tide of contracts in Toronto, with players taking slightly less money to build a stronger roster. Similar to what’s happened with the Florida Panthers, it speaks to the faith the players have in management to get them all the way. With that confidence and new look to the team, Sittler shared he has a lot of belief in Toronto right now.
“Now’s the time for the Maple Leafs,” he said. “It has been for the last three or four years and we didn’t get it done, but we still have an opportunity to get it done. They’ve changed some of the chemistry. I don’t know all those players coming in, but it seems to me they’re a little bigger in size, a little bit more grit. I think Berube’s style of coaching has always been to play team defence and make it hard to play against. You have to have that, especially in the playoffs if you’re going to go all the way to the Finals.”
A native of Southern Ontario, of course the boys also had to get Sittler’s take on the Toronto Blue Jays, who clinched the American League East division title on Sunday and now get a bye to the second round next weekend.
“I don’t think any of us thought at the start of the year we’d be in this position,” Sittler said. “They’re a fun team to watch, which is awesome. The crowd’s excited and the city’s excited. They’re selling out every game and selling lots of hot dogs, so it’s all good.”
It’s true the Blue Jays have outperformed most people’s expectations this season, and a lot of that is due to the team mentality they’ve built. Sittler said it speaks to the character of the players and shows what it takes to be a winning group.
“You create a chemistry and a bond together,” he said. “When you win together, obviously it grows a lot. And I think when you go through adversity, it grows also. They came through when they had to come through and now we’re excited that they got a week to rest up and get ready for the playoffs.”
The Maple Leafs have certainly seen their fair share of ups and downs over the past few years too, so maybe the Blue Jays’ success can provide some inspiration. Heading into this new season, the Leafs must take the good and the bad of the past and use it to grow together.
For more, check out Alberga and Rosey’s full interview with Sittler.
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