Artur Akhtyamov beat out Dennis Hildeby for Marlies Game 1 and the Leafs goaltending future has shifted
Photo credit: Dan Hamilton-Imagn Images
Artur Akhtyamov has been lights out this postseason and taken over for Dennis Hildeby. His presence has made the Maple Leafs goalie situation much different.
Holding a 2.12 GAA and .922 SV% this postseason, Artur Akhtyamov has been the anchor between the pipes for the Toronto Marlies as they continue on their quest for the Calder Cup and given that he has shown no signs of slowing down, they could be in good hands.
He's been the hot hand that head coach John Gruden has rode to the North Division Finals over Dennis Hildeby, and with the Maple Leafs also getting some solid goaltending from him as well - the future is bright.
Artur Akhtyamov's red-hot postseason run has given the Maple Leafs a true ace between the pipes
But it's been this postseason where he's really proven he can be ready to make the leap. He's 5-2-0 with a shutout, and even when he gets scored on there's genuinely no concern on his part. Never rattled, he takes things in stride and picks things up.
Watching Akhtyamov against the Laval Rocket on May 3rd, the one thing I noticed about him was his poise. Toronto dominated on the scoreboard and the fans were hoping for a shutout. However, that wasn't meant to be but he didn't sulk or slam his stick.
Akhtyamov took a quick lap, shook it off, and then went right back to business. He understands that you're going to get scored on, and the maturity is already showing through. Not to mention that Akhtyamov has professional experience in Russia.
In his last season with Ak Bars Kazan, he posted a 6-7-0 record but held a 2.51 GAA and .921 SV% and was more than capable of holding his own against veterans.
His natural ability to go post-to-post with a quick first step is going to make him someone who can't easily be exploited and couple with his maturity and work ethic; an NHL job awaits.
Not to take anything from Dennis Hildeby, who had a .904 SV% for the Marlies in the regular season and is 3-0-0 in the postseason with a 2.17 GAA and .921 SV%; but clearly Akhtyamov's competitive advantage has been leading the charge.
Head coach John Gruden believes that Akhtyamov mirrors Ilya Sorokin and he loves his ability to already come into Toronto and be a winner:
He reminds me a lot of Ilya Sorokin. I had him on the Island when he first came over. They're built very similarly, and the second thing is their competitiveness and ability to compete in practice all the time.
They don't like pucks going in the net. His ability to get across east-west so quickly; he is so fluid with his skating and his feet. It's very similar.
They don't like pucks going in the net. His ability to get across east-west so quickly; he is so fluid with his skating and his feet. It's very similar.
If Akhtyamov can continue his winning ways then it'll be a matter of when, not if, he comes up to the Maple Leafs.
Toronto's goaltending pipeline will lead them into the future - and Anthony Stolarz out the door
So with Akhtyamov already showing incredible promise and Dennis Hildeby already proving to be a stable and reliable goaltender at the NHL level, it's going to drastically shift how things go with Joseph Woll and Anthony Stolarz.
Woll is likely sticking around until his next deal is done, and he will be the perfect veteran to transition Hildeby and Akhtyamov into a full-time role with the team in a year or two...but Anthony Stolarz is as good as gone.
Look, Stolarz is an incredible goalie but only when healthy and he's consistently shown to have a hard time doing that. Toronto can't risk him every night and wonder if he'll pop his knee out or take another hit to the head; especially with two young and hungry goalies.
Teams will bite on a guy like Stolarz, who struggled this year but also put in an astounding 2024-25 season where he went 21-8-3 with a 2.14 GAA and .926 SV%. He was hurt still but managed to really put in a great year.
That type of hope will sell Stolarz to teams like Philadelphia or New Jersey who need some more reliable or younger goaltending at the cost of a potential injury. High-risk, high-reward.
Artur Akhtyamov and Dennis Hildeby are the future of the Maple Leafs, and Joseph Woll is just there to see that go as smooth as possible. That leaves Anthony Stolarz as the odd man out and the next guy who is gone with Toronto's winds of change.
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