Maple Leafs call up top goalie prospect amid Anthony Stolarz trade speculation

The Toronto Maple Leafs made a couple of intriguing roster moves. First, the club called up Vinni Lettieri as depth following the placement of John Tavares on injured reserve.

But the most interesting move has to be the call-up of goalie prospect Artur Akhtyamov on Monday morning.

According to Mark Masters, Akhtyamov will back up Sergei Bobrovsky on Monday night against the San Jose Sharks, with Stolarz purportedly getting the call on Tuesday versus the Columbus Blue Jackets.

That situation could mean several things. The likeliest is that Stolarz might be dealing with something, and the team wanted to give him the night off on Monday. Now, Stolarz was at practice on Monday morning, so there might not be much to read into it.

But could calling Akhtyamov up be one of those “roster management” moves?

That’s purely speculation on my end. There is nothing to suggest that this is the organization’s intention.

However, he can’t ignore the fact that Stolarz has been the subject of trade speculation, most notably by Darren Dreger. Dreger linked Stolarz to the New York Rangers following the season-ending injury to Igor Shesterkin.

Elliotte Friedman, meanwhile, once again delved into the Rangers’ goaltending situation on Monday’s edition of the 32 Thoughts Podcast. Friedman did not link Stolarz in that discussion, but he did mention that the Rangers have been scouting several goalies. Moreover, New York could be looking at a deal to shore up its depth in the crease, amid the seeming deadline on Connor Hellebuyck.

Maybe this is a nothing-burger.

Perhaps it’s just the Leafs managing their goalies’ workloads. But you have to wonder about the timing of this move.

Maple Leafs right to be careful with Stolarz is they’re serious about trading him

The one thing you do have to keep in mind is that if the Maple Leafs are serious about trading Stolarz, they can’t afford to have him get hurt.

Stolarz, as we know, is injury-prone. And so, there’s no reason to even have him backing up Bobrovsky on Monday night if John Chayka is potentially negotiating a deal as we speak.

Now, there’s nothing to indicate that a deal could be on the horizon. The Rangers, according to the prevailing chatter, are in no hurry to make a deal happen. But they do need organizational depth. The club inked former Leaf James Reimer to an AHL PTO last week. While that move was in the cards, it doesn’t signal a long-term solution.

Stolarz might be more of a longer-term fit in New York. At the moment, the Rangers have rookie Dylan Garand as the starter, with AHL-caliber netminder Spencer Martin backing him up. The equation could change once Joonas Korpisalo returns from injury. However, the Rangers have been eerily quiet about Korpisalo. That’s why there might be some credence to the possibility that Stolarz could be on Chris Drury’s radar.

Let’s see where this goes. It could just be a routine move. There is still some intrigue to the timing, nonetheless.

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