Goaltending has not been the friend of the Toronto Maple Leafs so far this season. Anthony Stolarz has been good but his role has been lowered to being more of a pure backup to Sergei Bobrovsky.
With one half of this tandem being a 38-year-old netminder and the other a 32-year-old that is very prone to injuries, the Leafs are leading with some caution in certain games and this weekend, they're returning to a familiar strategy.
According to multiple reports, the Leafs have recalled 24-year-old goalie Artur Akhtyamov, who will serve as the backup for both games of a back-to-back this weekend against the Montreal Canadiens and the New Jersey Devils.
Akhtyamov recalled and will back up this weekend. Bobrovsky starts tonight #Leafs
— Terry Koshan 🇺🇦 (@koshtorontosun) November 7, 2026
The Leafs already pulled this move earlier this season.
Maple Leafs going with a three-goalie plan, again
Prior to the Oct. 19 game against the Sharks, Akhtyamov was recalled and served as Bobrovsky's backup for that game, and then was Stolarz's backup against the Blue Jackets. The young Russian goalie did not need to get in the games since the Leafs handedly won both games. But, this is to protect against any potential fatigue.
There are multiple hypothetical scenarios where this strategy is a big preventative measure. In the scenario that Bobrovsky gets lit up against Montreal and would have to be pulled -- although he still has not been pulled this season, even if he should have at times -- then Stolarz would have to come in and either play a full game just 24 hours later, or they return to Bobrovsky and it's technically two consecutive starts that could mess things up for the future.
Even if Bobrovsky wins against Montreal, he probably shouldn't backup Stolarz in case he needs to be pulled, and suddenly you're putting in a 38-year-old that just played the previous night.
Now that Akhtyamov is here, he can be either goalie's relief, he will keep both starters fresh, especially considering the compeitition they are hosting next week.
The Leafs are hosting the Colorado Avalanche on Tuesday, the Minnesota Wild on Thursday, and then the Edmonton Oilers on Saturday. If the Leafs had to go through that gauntlet with some fatigued goaltenders, it would potentially be a nightmare.
Bringing up Akhtyamov and taking him away from his Toronto Marlies duties -- they do play just one game this weekend at least -- is certainly worth it. Now, we'll have to hope that neither goalie needs to be pulled and have the 24-year-old come in relief. Crossing our fingers for another pair of dominant games with Akhtyamov on the bench.
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