The Philadelphia Flyers are in their fifth straight season without postseason hockey. Like the rest of us, they are at home, watching these great games, wondering when it will be time to see the Orange and Black in the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
Currently, there is a former Flyers goaltender who has seemingly been the story of the playoffs thus far. He is finding his groove and proving to be everything the Flyers thought he could be and more.
Anthony Stolarz
The Flyers drafted Anthony Stolarz in the second round of the 2012 NHL Entry Draft, with the 45th pick. He could stay close to home from Edison, New Jersey, but had to battle his allegiance to being a die-hard New Jersey Devils fan.
He had 14 starts with the Flyers in 2016-17 and 2018-19, with a 6-4-4 record, a save percentage of .911, and a Goals Against Average of 2.86. He also recorded two shutouts in his stead with Philly.
Fast-forward to last season. He backed Sergei Bobrovsky up as part of the Florida Panthers organization, his third team since leaving Philadelphia in 2018-19. After a stellar season as the backup, he lifted the Stanley Cup and was picked up by Toronto in the offseason for two years and $5 million.
This season, he was incredible for Toronto, and he is still killing it in the first-round matchup against Ottawa.
Torching the competition in Toronto
The Flyers saw something in him back in 2012 to use a second-round selection on him. At the time, they had a revolving door in the crease with Stolarz, Brian Elliot, Carter Hart, Michael Neuvirth, Calvin Pickard, Alex Lyon, and Cam Talbot. It would be easy to overlook the potential that Stolarz had amid all that chaos.
Flyers fans should root for this guy, hoping he can break this long-standing curse for the Maple Leafs. Who knows, the Flyers might be able to circle and reclaim him and use him to fuel their return to the Stanley Cup promised land.