The way the Toronto Maple Leafs’ season has played out over the last month or so, it almost makes it seem like there has been a blatant tank unfolding.
Conspiracy theories aside, the latest injury to Anthony Stolarz seems like something directly out of a Seinfeld episode. Craig Berube was forced to roll with Joseph Woll against the Washington Capitals last Wednesday, knowing that they would play the New York Islanders the following night.
There was no choice but to roll with Woll on Wednesday, forcing the question regarding the starting netminder for Thursday night. Instead of recalling Dennis Hildeby, the organization made a smart move for once and brought in Artur Akhtyamov.
On the surface, it was a pretty crappy move to throw a young goalie to the wolves in his first NHL start.
But rather than crashing and burning, Akhtyamov actually kept the Maple Leafs in the game. He made 39 saves, including a first-period barrage that saw the Leafs get outshot 24-3.
While it’s just one game, Akhtyamov answered a lot of questions. But for all of the questions the Russian goalie answered, he raised another crucial point.
The Maple Leafs could now have a business case to trade Stolarz and Woll.
At this point, Stolarz seems like a dud. He is unable to stay healthy. And even when he played this season, he wasn’t nearly at the same level as last season.
As for Woll, you could make the case that if he had a decent team in front of him, he could play much better. But there’s a caveat. Woll can’t carry the load all by himself. He’s proven that a heavy workload also leads him to break down quite easily.
That situation doesn’t necessarily make him expendable. But it could make him a valuable trade chip should a team need a goalie this offseason.
Maple Leafs could roll with Hildeby-Akhtyamov tandem next season
As implausible as it may seem, the Maple Leafs could afford to roll with a Hildeny-Akhtyamov tandem next season.
Hildeby has shown flashes of what he could be with the right set of circumstances. Meanwhile, the jury is still out on Akhtyamov. But you have to think that his potential seems tantalizing.
As such, should the Leafs get solid offers for Woll and/or Stolarz, they should not hesitate to pull the trigger. Those deals could be used to recover pieces that could actually put a solid defense in front of the two young netminders.
The most important benefit would be getting out from under one of Brad Treliving’s biggest mistakes: Extending Stolarz to a four-year deal. Sadly, the extension hasn’t even kicked in, and it’s looking like a huge mistake.
A contending team, which the Maple Leafs hope they will be next season, doesn’t generally rely on two young, unproven goalies. But unless the Leafs recycle a veteran goalie like Jordan Binnington or bring in someone like Stuart Skinner, running back a Woll-Stolarz tandem would be ludicrous.
It wouldn’t be the worst thing in the world to roll with Hildeby and Akhtyamov in a total platoon role. The only other order of business would be to find a veteran third-stringer, just in case.