While the Toronto Marlies have an outstanding goaltending tandem, Artur Akhtyamov has had the net for the majority of the AHL Calder Cup playoffs. Toronto Maple Leafs assistant GM and Marlies GM Ryan Hardy explains how it got here.
The Toronto Marlies are preparing for their AHL Calder Cup final clash with the Chicago Wolves, with Game 1 coming up on Friday.
With the Marlies' stock climbing as they reach the final for the first time since 2018, goaltender Artur Akhtyamov has started the majority of the games in this post-season and is often the reason Toronto continues to advance.
In the Marlies' 19 Calder Cup games, Akhtyamov has featured in 17 and has been spectacular for Toronto. In that span, the Russian netminder has posted a 2.12 goals-against average and a .927 save percentage, proving to be one of the most impressive goalies in the league, and a true bright spot in the Toronto Maple Leafs' system.
He has been Marlies head coach, John Gruden's go-to when it comes to the crease, and it has clearly been the right call.
However, it's not as if Akhtyamov is the only suitable goaltender to lead the Marlies through the post-season. Dennis Hildeby is an impressive netminder himself, posting a 2.17 GAA and a .921 SP in three playoff appearances this year.
Not to mention, he's played 20 games in the NHL for the Maple Leafs when Joseph Woll and Anthony Stolarz weren't healthy. In that NHL stint, Hildeby put up a 2.80 GAA and a .914 SP, excellent numbers for a rookie goaltender. Yet the Swede can't seem to win the net in this post-season.
Maple Leafs assistant GM and Marlies GM, Ryan Hardy, was asked about Akhtyamov earning the net and Hildeby being left behind in the dust, to some degree.
"I think, like anything, development isn't linear, and just the times that things happen is just kind of how they happen," Hardy told reporters on Wednesday. "You look at Dennis' season, and in the American League, it was a little chaotic just because he played so much in the NHL. But he did a phenomenal job playing for the Leafs.
"We always had a bit of a platoon down here, which is just how we viewed the development of the goalies to make sure they're both getting enough. We started that way in the playoffs… eventually, coaching staff (Gruden) felt like he wanted to ride (Akhtyamov) for a couple games, and then the momentum started to build," Hardy said.
The last playoff game Hildeby played was in Toronto's second-round series against the Laval Rocket. It was Game 4 of the series, and Hildeby allowed one goal on six shots after one period. After playing 20 minutes, he was pulled for Aktyamov, and Gruden never looked back.
Toronto's staff has nothing against Hildeby, and in fact, they still may not have seen the last of him in this season.
"I think our belief in Dennis is still massive," Hardy said. "He's an incredible goalie, and as we all know how these go, we may very well see him at some point in the next seven games."
However, Akhtyamov has the hot hand, and they'll continue to go with him, as he's a huge reason why the Marlies are in the Calder Cup final.
"(Akhtyamov) has done a phenomenal job," he said. "I would say, we don't get through Cleveland without him, we don't get through Wilkes without him, and some of those saves he made, even in overtime the other night… he's feeling it."
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