Leafs goaltending prospect watch: 3 European Leafs prospects putting together strong campaigns between the pipes
There are a lot of opinions on Kyle Dubas and some of the moves that he's made during his tenure as Leafs GM. One thing that cannot be denied, though, is that Dubas has done what not a lot of GMs before him have - he's addressed a position of great need for the Leafs both now and for the future.
Goaltending has been a huge question mark in Toronto since the days of Felix Potvin, Curtis Joesph and Ed Belfour. Yes, there were some years that followed where the Leafs had a goaltender who could string together some wins, but as far as game-stealing ability, the Leafs have largely been void of any real bona-fide game-stealing talent in net.
A lot of what Dubas had to do early on in his tenure as Leafs GM was to clear out problem contracts, such as Patrick Marleau and Nikita Zaitsev before he could really get to work on putting his stamp on the team. A list of the goalies who have played for the Leafs during the Dubas-era are as follows:
Frederik Anderson, Curtis McElhinney, Calvin Pickard, Garret Sparks, Michael Hutchinson, Kasimir Kaskisuo, Jack Campbell, David Rittich and, more recently, Petr Mrazek, Joseph Woll, Erik Kallgren, Matt Murray and Ilya Samsonov.
In this mix, if we're being realistic, were a lot of backup or tandem goaltenders who were given their chance to earn a decent amount of starts or a clear-cut starting role in Toronto - particularly Frederik Andersen and Jack Campbell. Sometimes it takes a while to find the right piece and Dubas has not been shy about tweaking his roster to find the right guy for the job - whether that be from within the organization or otherwise. While past experiments have failed miserably, the current experiment of a Matt Murray, Ilya Samsonov, Erik Kallgren trio has actually worked out fairly well for the Leafs so far - and that's with Murray having yet to really play any games for the Buds other than the season opener, where the team had some visible rust to shake off. With Murray slated to return here in short order, perhaps we'll see the fruits of Dubas' summer labour pay off a little more than it already has.
That trio aside, a huge part of what the Leafs have needed over the past decade was a bona-fide, home-grown talent between the pipes - someone who has been drafted and developed by the organization. Past regimes have really failed in this department. Other than Joseph Woll and Ian Scott, the Leafs haven't really put an emphasis on scouting, signing, drafting and developing the goalie of the future. Dubas, however, has done just that.
In the past couple of years, Dubas has added the likes of Artur Akhtyamov, Vyacheslav Peksa and Dennis Hildeby, all of whom are making waves over in Europe this season. He's also added 2022 Hobey Baker Award winner Dryden McKay as an NCAA free agent, but for now, let's just focus on the Leafs draftees.
Dennis Hildeby, 21: Drafted in the 4th round of the 2022 NHL Entry Draft with the 122nd overall pick. In 5GP so far this season, Hildeby owns a 3-2-0 record, a 2.33 GAA and .918 SV%.
Vyacheslav Peksa, 20: Drafted in the 6th round of the 2021 NHL Entry Draft with the 185th overall pick. In 19 games this season, Peksa owns a 10-7-1 record, 1 shutout, a 2.28 GAA and a .921 SV%.
Artur Akhtyamov, 21: Drafted in the 4th round of the 2020 NHL Entry Draft with the 106th overall pick. In 18 games this season, Akhtyamov owns an 11-5-1 record, 3 shutouts, a 1.77 GAA and a .938 SV%.
Now, obviously, each of these young netminders has a ways to go before they'll be ready for NHL action, but the fact that the Dubas-era Leafs are putting such a strong emphasis on drafting and developing the goaltender of the future is a very good sign that they're well aware of a problem that has existed in this market for a number of years.
Goaltenders are so difficult to gauge. You never really know which ones are true NHL-caliber goaltenders until they get there, but the fact that the Leafs have been gradually building up their goaltending department and adding legitimate prospects to their pool at the position, they're giving themselves a chance to find the next difference-maker between the pipes.
The number of teams who have won a Stanley Cup with a goaltender whom they've drafted and developed is staggering compared to the teams that have won with a goaltender they've either traded for or signed in free agency. There's a legitimate correlation between drafting and developing the next guy and experiencing postseason success, so the fact that the Leafs are going in that direction is very promising. Now, whether or not Dubas is around to see the fruits of his labour pay off is another topic for discussion entirely. There's a lot hinging on this year and the immediate success on the team. Hopefully he'll have found at least a stop-gap solution in one of Murray, Samsonov or Kallgren until such a time where one of their home-grown prospects is ready to step in and take the reins.
| POLL | ||
NOVEMBRE 14 | 168 ANSWERS Leafs goaltending prospect watch: 3 European Leafs prospects putting together strong campaigns between the pipes Which Leafs European goaltending prospect are you most excited to see develop? | ||
| Akhtyamov | 62 | 36.9 % |
| Hildeby | 61 | 36.3 % |
| Peksa | 45 | 26.8 % |
| List of polls | ||
