After another disappointing Toronto Maple Leafs playoff loss, it's time to break up the core four forwards and that might mean moving on from Mitch Marner, who becomes a free agent at the end of the 2024-25 season. Toronto Maple Leafs goaltender prospect Artur Akhtyamov has won the VHL Goaltender of the Year award after yet another successful season in 2023-24. Split between time with the VHL, the second-highest-ranked league in Russian hockey, and the KHL, Akhtyamov found success all throughout the 2023-24 campaign. In his VHL stint with the Neftyanik Almetievsk, he posted a 10-5-4 record in the regular season with a .927 save percentage, a 2.00 goals-against average, and three shutouts. Perhaps more impressive was his 16-5-0 record with a 2.15 goals against average, .932 save percentage, and two shutout performances in 21 playoff appearances for the club – leading the number nine-seeded Almetievsk to a VHL championship stopping 41 of 43 shots in the deciding Game 4 [https://x.com/Kyle_Cush/status/1782839054637134206], ultimately being named the Petrov Cup’s Most Valuable Player. In the KHL, Akhtyamov appeared in 17 games for the Ak Bars Kazan, putting together a 2.51 goals against average paired with a shutout and a .921 save percentage in 17 games of action – a rather magnificent feat considering he’s only 22 years of age and accomplishing such numbers in a professional league. A calendar year ago, he had the best save percentage in the VHL having played the sixth most games. [https://x.com/Kyle_Cush/status/1627308270645030912?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1627308270645030912%7Ctwgr%5E43cbb97799f72686b4c01a050a03c246817e1023%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Ftheleafsnation.com%2Fnews%2Fits-time-we-start-talking-about-artur-akhtyamov] Akhtyamov found a way to continue his strong play from the 2022-23 season with the Neftyanik Almetievsk that saw him post a 1.74 goals against average with a .943 save percentage and six shutouts in the regular season. Akhtyamov was drafted in the fourth round of the 2020 NHL Entry Draft at pick number 106. Due to his stellar play in Russia, seemingly succeeding in every position he has been put in, the Leafs signed the standout goaltender to his entry-level contract last summer – a three-year $2.55 million contract with an AAV of $881,667. The young goaltender prospect marked another bright spot for the Maple Leafs this season, as he continues to emerge as a prominent player in the Leafs’ system going forward. Image [https://thehockeynews.com/.image/c_fit,h_600,w_600/MjAwNTk1MTUxMDE2NDM2ODQ0/cf1808c0-6a82-4298-9049-3eb2eae105b0.jpg] Related Report: Former Maple Leafs Forward Ondrej Kase Attempting NHL Comeback [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/toronto-maple-leafs/latest-news/report-former-maple-leafs-forward-ondrej-kase-attempting-nhl-comeback] 'It Kept Coming Back To Craig': Maple Leafs GM Brad Treliving Spoke to 'Nine Individuals' in Head Coaching Search Before Hiring Craig Berube [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/toronto-maple-leafs/latest-news/it-kept-coming-back-to-craig-maple-leafs-gm-brad-treliving-spoke-to-nine-individuals-in-head-coaching-search-before-hiring-craig-berube] Report: Maple Leafs Contacted NHLPA as Part of Due Diligence Before Hiring Craig Berube as Head Coach [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/toronto-maple-leafs/latest-news/maple-leafs-contacted-nhlpa-as-part-of-due-diligence-before-hiring-craig-berube-as-head-coach] News from THN.com Finding NHL Coaching Matches for the Devils, Jets, Sharks and Kraken [https://thehockeynews.com/news/finding-nhl-coaching-matches-for-the-devils-jets-sharks-and-kraken] NHL Draft Notebook: Helenius, Brandsegg-Nygard and Solberg Compete at Men’s Worlds [https://thehockeynews.com/news/nhl-draft-notebook-helenius-brandsegg-nygard-and-solberg-compete-at-mens-worlds] NHL Three Stars: Panthers' Bobrovsky, Oilers' Bouchard and Stars' Heiskanen Electrify the Post-Season [https://thehockeynews.com/news/nhl-three-stars-panthers-bobrovsky-oilers-bouchard-and-stars-heiskanen-electrify-the-post-season]
