Top Toronto Maple Leafs prospect is suddenly in demand and Chayka is listening

PUBLICATION

Jonathan Ouimet
June 8, 2026  (2:22)

SHARE THIS STORY

Photo credit: Screenshot

The Leafs have a goalie problem that looks more like a goalie surplus, and the trade calls are already coming in.

According to a post from analyst account WatchMyReview, Toronto will be getting calls on young netminder Artur Akhtyamov this offseason.

The recommendation that came with it: keep Akhtyamov, keep Dennis Hildeby, keep Joseph Woll, and move Anthony Stolarz instead.

That's four goalies for a job that fits two. Something has to give in this crease, and soon.

The trouble is the simple answer might be the wrong one.

The full post lays out the keep-or-trade logic, and it leans on Stolarz as the odd man out.

-

Here's where the easy take gets complicated. Look at the actual save percentages from this season, not the reputations.

Joseph Woll carried the heaviest load with 39 appearances, and posted a .898 save percentage. Solid workhorse usage, ordinary results.

Anthony Stolarz, the supposed trade chip, played 26 games at .893. Right in the same neighborhood as Woll, just with fewer starts.

Then there's Hildeby. The 24-year-old quietly put up a .912 in 20 games, the best mark of the entire group, on a cap hit under $900,000.

So the kid outplayed both veterans for a fraction of the price. That's the number that should reshape this whole conversation.

Akhtyamov, meanwhile, has all of 3 NHL games on his resume. Trading him now would be selling a lottery ticket before the numbers are called.

Here's my read: Toronto's issue isn't picking which goalie to keep. It's that nobody grabbed the net and refused to let go. A team that allowed 299 goals and finished 28th didn't get enough saves from anyone.

When your cheapest, youngest option posts your best save percentage, you don't rush him out the door. You give him the runway and let the market overpay for the veterans.

Picking a goalie is like picking a closer. You don't trust the resume, you trust the recent results. Hildeby's results just made the loudest case.

Whoever Toronto's next coach is inherits this puzzle on day one. The wrong call in net follows a franchise for years.

Previously

Major news is out on who the next NHL commissioner is going to be

The blockbuster everyone's tracking just got a big update from Dreger

Philadelphia Flyers are going all in with a massive offer for an available top center

POLL

1 HOUR AGO   |   37 ANSWERS Top Toronto Maple Leafs prospect is suddenly in demand and Chayka is listening Should the Leafs trade Anthony Stolarz and keep the younger goalies?

▢    Yes

▢    No

MUST READ

2 hours ago  |  By Jonathan Ouimet Major news is out on who the next NHL commissioner is going to be

2 hours ago  |  By Jonathan Ouimet The blockbuster everyone's tracking just got a big update from Dreger

3 hours ago  |  By Jonathan Ouimet Philadelphia Flyers are going all in with a massive offer for an available top center

4 hours ago  |  By Jonathan Ouimet A brand new coaching candidate just emerged out of nowhere for the Toronto Maple Leafs

4 hours ago  |  By Jonathan Ouimet Montreal Canadiens are closing in on a towering defenseman from a western powerhouse

5 hours ago  |  By Jonathan Ouimet Dylan Larkin has narrowed it down to three teams and a trade is imminent

6 hours ago  |  By Jonathan Ouimet Friedman reveals a big name just exited the Toronto Maple Leafs coaching race

7 hours ago  |  By Vincent Carbonneau What Brady Tkachuk just said about the trade rumors is getting everyone talking

MORE STORIES