Recently, my entire focus has revolved around preparing for the June 26-27 NHL Draft in Buffalo. But I wanted to take some time today to update Toronto Maple Leafs fans on the progress goaltending prospect Artur Akhtyamov is making during the Toronto Marlies run to the Calder Cup Finals, which begin Friday night.
Comparing Akhtyamov’s regular season to his playoffs displays a significant uptick in overall results. He played 37 games this season, and while his stats weren’t terrible by any stretch he has clearly gone to another level in the playoffs.
First, his regular season in the AHL:
Akhtyamov won the net with the Marlies and he’s providing outstanding netminding in high-leverage games. Here’s a look at Akhtyamov’s statistical breakdown over the course of his 17 playoff games. His goals-against average and save percentage speak to the impact he’s made in those starts:
I describe Akhtyamov’s style as “butterfly/athletic.” He’s listed at six-foot-two, 176 pounds so he’s plenty big enough for the NHL game. What stands out when I’m breaking down Akhtyamov’s approach to stopping pucks is how low he gets to the net when fronting shooters and eventually dropping into his butterfly.
What follows is an example of what I’m describing:
Notice how tall Akhtyamov is in his stance at the start of the sequence. As his opponent prepares to release the puck to the net, he sets himself very low to the ice before the actual shot.
Akhtyamov has great feet. When he’s square to the shooter, he sets himself to cover the lower quadrants of the net effectively. My concern, when he drops too quickly, is NHL shooters could take advantage of the upper corners that are exposed when he drops this low to the ice.
Conversely, this style works in his favour when he tracks plays moving from the goal line to his crease. In the following sequence Akhtyamov anticipates how the play is developing, sets himself low to the ice as usual, squares up to the shooter and holds his ground in the crease.
I appreciate how Akhtyamov tracks the play overall and battles to make second stops. He’s athletic and the following clip is a sequence that displays what I’m describing:
Akhtyamov tracked well from side to side, battled to make a second save if necessary and reset himself to square up to the shooter when the puck came back out front again.
My final illustration shows how Akhtyamov battles to find pucks through traffic. In this sequence he stands tall to look over the opponent who is screening him then drops to his usual low set butterfly before snagging a shot with his glove. His read was accurate and he timed his stop on time.
I’m projecting Akhtyamov as a potential backup option for the Leafs as early as next fall. He’s not a young prospect. He arrived in North America later than most goalies and will turn 25 in October, which is around the age that a goalie has enough minor-league experience, and maturity, for the NHL game.
With Akhtyamov proving his worth this spring during the Marlies playoff run, the Leafs have decisions to make with their goalies.
Here’s a look at how their goalies line up with their contracts next season, per PuckPedia:
Toronto has Anthony Stolarz and Joseph Woll under contract for the next couple of years, but they have both struggled to stay healthy over the course of an 82-game schedule. And next year’s schedule increases to 84 games.
What makes the Leafs’ scenario more complex is the fact Dennis Hildeby, who has auditioned at the NHL level, isn’t waiver-exempt anymore in the fall. If Toronto elects to keep both Stolarz and Woll, Hildeby would surely be claimed by another organization on waivers. Given that Akhtyamov is under contract with Toronto for the next three seasons, I’m monitoring the strategy Leafs management chooses to implement with their netminders. Something has to give here.
Will Toronto look to unload either Woll or Stolarz in the off-season? Or is it more likely they move Hildeby for some additional draft capital?