The Toronto Maple Leafs have run into a major case of the injury bug in recent days. Captain Auston Matthews sustained a lower-body injury in the team’s last game against the Boston Bruins.
But the Maple Leafs lost more than just Matthews. They also lost starting netminder Anthony Stolarz. Stolarz left Tuesday night’s contest against the Bruins after giving up three goals in the first period. He did not return for the second, with Dennis Hildeby riding shotgun the rest of the way.
Now, the Maple Leafs have called up Artur Ahktyamov from the AHL Marlies, Mark Masters reported.
Stolarz sustained an upper-body injury in the game against the Bruins. What the precise nature of the injury is remains unclear.
There has been plenty of chatter surrounding Stolarz’s workload this season. The 33-year-old netminder has never started more than 35 games in his NHL career. This season, he’s already up to 13. As a result, questions have emerged regarding his durability. It seems those questions have been warranted.
With Stolarz out and Joseph Woll still not ready to return, the Maple Leafs have turned to Ahktyamov. He was the understudy to Hildeby with the Marlies this season. After losing Cayden Primeau to waivers, Ahktyamov moved up in the Maple Leafs’ goalie pecking order. He’s now the fourth-string netminder behind Stolarz, Woll, and Hildeby.
The Maple Leafs hope that Ahktyamov won’t come into the game on Thursday night against the LA Kings. However, anything can happen for the team at this point. Hildeby will get the call, and it remains unclear whether Woll will be back at some point this weekend.
Maple Leafs Counting on Ahktyamov as a Last Resort
Ahktyamov was the Maple Leafs’ fourth-round pick in the 2020 NHL Draft. The 24-year-old Russian netminder has yet to see any NHL action in his career. Last season, he played in 26 games for the Marlies, racking up a 2.81 GAA and a .901 SV%. This season, he has played in six games, compiling a 2.82 GAA and an .894 SV%. The dip in numbers year over year is expected. However, the Maple Leafs really have no choice moving forward.
While some may argue that losing Primeau to waivers was a bad move, the fact is that Primeau wasn’t doing anyone any favors. So, the Maple Leafs’ last resort will be an untested goalie who’s never played at the NHL level beyond a few preseason games.
Toronto May Need to Consider Another Goalie Option
There’s no telling how long Stolarz might be out. Also, there’s no certainty that Woll can hold down the fort for the foreseeable future. So, it looks like this will be Hildeby’s big audition. But even if Hildeby does play out of his mind, the Maple Leafs may need to consider another goalie option moving forward.
The goaltending market is bone dry at the moment. But there are a couple of competent backup, third-string-type goalies out there. So, GM Brad Treliving may need to scour the market to see if he can find a failsafe option somewhere.
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