Artur Akhtyamov Could Become the Maple Leafs’ Most Valuable Goalie This Season

Sergei Bobrovsky and Anthony Stolarz will almost certainly open the season as the Toronto Maple Leafs’ goaltending tandem. But by the time the season is over, another goalie may end up having the biggest impact on how it all turns out.

The Maple Leafs’ biggest unrestricted free-agent signing this offseason was Stanley Cup champion and multiple Vezina Trophy winner Bobrovsky. He’ll share the crease with Stolarz. If this had happened a year ago, Maple Leafs fans would probably have been celebrating one of the strongest goalie tandems in the NHL. Bobrovsky was coming off three straight trips to the Stanley Cup Final, winning two championships along the way. Stolarz was coming off back-to-back seasons in which he ranked among the league’s best statistically.

On paper, it looked like a terrific combination.

Warning Signs in the Crease

But hockey has a way of reminding us that what looked great last summer doesn’t always look the same a year later. Bobrovsky is coming off the toughest statistical season of his 16-year NHL career. He posted a career-low .877 save percentage and matched his second-highest goals-against average at 3.07. Stolarz wasn’t much better, finishing with a .893 save percentage and a 3.28 goals-against average. For comparison, the NHL average last season was a .896 save percentage and a 2.85 goals-against average.

Then there’s age and durability. Bobrovsky will be 38 when the puck drops on the 2026-27 season. Stolarz, now 32, has struggled to stay healthy, spending roughly 200 days on injured reserve or long-term injured reserve over the past four seasons.

When you put those two facts together, it becomes hard to imagine both goalies making it through an entire NHL season without missing time. In fact, we’d be surprised if both of them are available for every game before Christmas, never mind all 82 games.

The Next Man Up

That’s where Artur Akhtyamov enters the conversation. Last spring, he did something that caught the Maple Leafs’ attention. He beat out the highly regarded 6-foot-7 Dennis Hildeby for the Marlies’ starting job during the Calder Cup Playoffs. Then he helped lead Toronto to a Calder Cup championship while earning the Jack A. Butterfield Trophy as playoff MVP.

Those weren’t just good numbers. They changed the organization’s thinking. Akhtyamov didn’t simply move ahead of Hildeby on the depth chart. He became important enough that management was comfortable using Hildeby as part of the deal to acquire veteran forward Nick Paul. That’s a pretty strong statement about how the organization views Akhtyamov’s future.

More Than Just a Backup Plan

Unless general manager John Chayka has another trade in mind for an experienced goaltender, and adding one isn’t as simple as it sounds because of waiver considerations, it feels like only a matter of time before Akhtyamov gets another opportunity with the Maple Leafs.

Maybe it’s five starts. Maybe it’s 10. Maybe it’s more. History tells us NHL teams almost always need more than two goaltenders over the course of a long season. Injuries happen. Slumps happen. Fatigue happens. The teams that survive are usually the ones with someone ready to step in.

If the Maple Leafs are going to return to the postseason, Akhtyamov will almost certainly have to play meaningful games. And when those opportunities come, Toronto won’t just need him to fill in. They’ll need him to win.

That’s why we keep coming back to one thought. The Maple Leafs’ most important goalie this season may not be Sergei Bobrovsky. It may not even be Anthony Stolarz. It just might be Artur Akhtyamov.

[Note: I want to thank long-time Maple Leafs’ fan Stan Smith for collaborating with me on this post. Stan’s Facebook profile can be found here.]