2026 T25U25: Artur Akhtyamov is #8

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It's game #3 of the Calder Cup Final. I ask Spiros Anasatas, head coach of the Chicago Wolves, who have yet to win a game in the series why his team is struggling with the Toronto Marlies after trouncing the Grand Rapids Griffins, notionally the best team in the league. He notes they had a great record against the Griffins all season, and most of the Griffins losses were to the Wolves, like they had solved them in a way no one else could, but he adds they aren't very familiar with the Marlies, and that the team had changed up a lot since the last time they had played them months earlier, but then he also drops in one name, a player they can't solve, a player they don't know, an enigma. "Akhtyamov."

By that point in the Calder Cup Playoffs, it had already become clear that Artur "Artie" Akhtyamov was the guy. Dennis Hildeby hadn't played in the series or the one prior. John Gruden was asked if he was considering getting Hildeby in a game to give Akhtyamov a rest and the answer was a flat out no, with him adding "I think he's the best goalie in the playoffs." It turned out he was the MVP of the playoffs.

The Player

You can't talk about Artie without bringing up two other Leafs goalies, Joseph Woll and Dennis Hildeby.

It's not clear to me why these two so quickly fell out of favour with the organisation, though it follows a long list of goalie names in the history of us compiling this list that have met the same fate, anyone remember Calder Cup Champion Garret Sparks?

I won't go through them all, but one that's currently very notable is Woll, who made it on to the Leafs and even played in important playoff games, and now he's gone, traded to the Flyers in the off-season, and never really seeming to make a lasting impact here.

Maple Leafs trade Joe Woll, Simon Benoit to the Flyers

I’m told JVR is not the return.

PPP LeafsCathy Squires

Akhtyamov played in 22 of the Marlies 25 playoff games, Hildeby in three. The confidence in Artie was clearly very high, in Hildeby, it wasn't. Though the trade itself is interesting, and perhaps a win for the Leafs, but it's another time that the Leafs have moved out an AHL All-Star goalie.

Maple Leafs trade Dennis Hildeby for Nick Paul

And some picks are involved.

PPP LeafsCathy Squires

Then there's the question of where Hildeby's ranking would be had he not been traded. He was almost the same age as Artie, and was briefly hailed as a future long-term Leafs backup goalie, perhaps more than that if he could continue honing his craft, but now he's gone too, traded to the Lightning in the off-season, and never really seeming to make an impact here.

The Votes

The last time Woll was eligible in 2023 he was ranked at #4, with an average ranking of 4.8.

Hildeby was on last year's list with a ranking tied at #7. Looking at it from a high level he appears to have been ranked about the same, but the variance of ranking was much higher, with Brian putting him all the way down at #20, while I had him at #5, with a weighted average ranking of 8.5. Take a peak at the table below and see where Akhtyamov's average ranking sits.

So what conclusions can we draw from this beyond the old trope "goalies are voodoo," because we know good goalies generally stay good, and we better hope that's the case with Bob. Where does Artie belong in our hierarchy in his final year of eligibility for this list? Here's what our voters have to say.

The Opinions

Shinson93:  We’ve seen this story before, where a Calder Cup run by a hot goalie led the team to decide that it was ok to part with much of their goalie depth.  That other goalie benefitted from a stronger team and it didn’t work out.  He was last seen attempting an ECHL comeback. AA was a different story, taking over the playoff run on a somewhat middling team and really carrying them to the championship and an MVP.  He’s not a youngster anymore and seems like he’ll be given every opportunity to keep progressing as the #3 goalie.  I love his attitude and how much his teammates love him.  I’m hoping he proves the team made the right decision this time.

Cathy: Akhtyamov was my other anchor vote. If he becomes what he currently is not at age 25 – an NHL-level goalie of playable quality as a backup – then he is of a value equivalent to any AHL callup. Jacob Quillan, for example. Since he is not that, and only has some chance of being that, he is not worth the skaters who are close to the Quillan line now or have reasonable chances to become that or more. He was trialled by the Leafs in the Marlies playoffs after they'd already decided Dennis Hildeby had trade value. Akhtyamov was found to be worth hanging onto in the AHL. And all of that was about waivers and an asset poor team looking to move out the players at the one position they had excess.

Sclodiggity: I’m bullish on Akhtyamov but for the wrong reasons. I typically assume all goalie picks are long-shots and barely worth following but after Woll and Hildeby hit (yes, even Hildeby already is considered a successful pick), I’m left feeling that young goalies, for all their randomness, can develop into assets of value. We could certainly use a strong goalie prospect, now with a 32 and 37 year old at the top of the pecking order. Further, why not feel good? He played great in the Calder and goalies are subject to insane year-to-year variance. Recall that the current Stanley Cup winning goalies was a waiver claim, made the NHL at 27, and has GAA and Sv% numbers all over the place. Just get excited and cross your fingers.

Svalbard38: Akhtyamov’s the oldest player on the list, so the clock’s ticking on him becoming an NHL difference-maker, but it’s worth noting that Akhtyamov’s taken a step every year. In 2022-23 he became one of the best goalies in the VHL. In 2023-24 he proved he could start at the KHL level, then won VHL playoff MVP. In 2024-25 he made the jump to the AHL, and this season he stole the show as playoff starter and won AHL playoff MVP. He’ll be 25 soon, but this isn’t a player who’s stagnated. He could still have another step in him. The front office sure seems to think he does.

Zone Entry: I have a tendency to rank goalies higher just because it’s so hard to find and/or acquire a great one, my opinion is to hold onto them as long as possible.  That being said it felt like the right time to cash in on Hildeby’s value; ironically if AA has a handful of decent NHL starts by the deadline, will he be next?

Brigstew: I love Artie, but with his age he needs to show that same level of play he had on the Calder Cup run throughout a full season. More preferably, he needs to make himself an unquestionably capable goalie in the NHL. Given the age and inconsistent health of Toronto’s current goalie tandem now, and with Hildeby also on a new team Artie is their third goalie. So he’ll very likely get a shot at some point this season, and he needs to make that count.

Sergei Bobrovsky's new contract with the Leafs ends in three seasons when he will be 40 years-old, and please don't tell me about how his biological age is different than his chronological age. But Artie's contract ends at the exact same time and then he's UFA. Is this part of a plan? Is Bob here to mentor Artie? We shall see.

All of the above being said, I have never heard of a Marlies player talk about Artie in anything other than the fondest of terms. They love him. He's always given respect by rookies and veterans alike. So, in the mean time, let's keep the Artie Party going.

"LET'S GO GET IT... AGAIN!"

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