Toronto Maple Leafs Lose Another Goaltender to Injury, Helped Off the Ice
The Toronto Maple Leafs' Artur Ahktyamov ended up leaving Wednesday's game after suffering an undisclosed injury, being replaced by Matt Murray in net.
In an unfortunate scene of Wednesday night, the game between the Wilkes-Barre Scranton Penguins and Toronto Marlies ended up in a disaster only one period into the game.
During the shootout that was the first frame, Toronto Marlies goaltender Artur Akhytamov left the game after an undisclosed injury, leading to veteran Matt Murray to replace him.
Even worse, Ahktyamov is not going to return to the game as he awaits evaluation to determine the severity of the injury.
No details yet on the extent but it can't be good as not only has Ahktyamov been such a bright spot this season for the Marlies but it adds to the list of goaltenders who are slowly dropping for the blue and white.
Toronto's Goaltenders Can't Seem To Stay Healthy
Besides Ahktyamov, the Maple Leafs have been without the aforementioned Murray, Joseph Woll, and Anthony Stolarz all at various points throughout the season, and are still dealing with Stolarz's absence for another few weeks.
For as great their goaltending has been this season, the face they can't stay health is a worrying sign especially come playoffs. While Woll has been great, he's still injury prone and has a history attached to him. Murray hasn't looked comfortable at the NHL level and he may be still getting his groove back.
It's a shame for Ahktyamov who has been such a bright spot for the Marlies this season. Drafted by the Maple Leafs in the fourth round in 2020, he has put up a 9-3-1 record with a 2.65 GAA and .903 SV% in his first season in North America.
Marlies head coach John Gruden provided additional details about the injury after the game:
We will keep you updated on Ahktyamov's status in the coming days, and the only hope is that the injury is nothing too serious and it doesn't derail the progress he's mad so far this season.
