Maple Leafs Reassign Easton Cowan
As other teams have done in the past few days, the Maple Leafs reassigned their end-of-season call-ups back to the AHL to aid in their affiliate’s playoff run. Joining that contingent for Toronto will be rookie Easton Cowan. He was briefly assigned to the Marlies at the trade deadline to make him eligible for Calder Cup participation. He’ll be flanked by forwards Luke Haymes, Jacob Quillan, and Ryan Tverberg, defenseman William Villeneuve, and goaltender Artur Akhtyamov as part of today’s reassignments, the team announced.
Cowan will be quite the high-powered reinforcement. The 2023 first-round pick has only played twice for the Marlies in the regular season, recording an assist way back at the beginning of the schedule as the Leafs needed to do some roster shuffling to get him back up to the NHL full-time.
But since Nov. 14, Cowan has been a Maple Leaf, not a Marlie, aside from that paper demotion on deadline day. The 28th overall selection finished his rookie season with 11 goals and 18 assists for 29 points in 66 games with a -5 rating. He spent the year bouncing up and down the Leafs’ struggling forward core but got a lengthy run in the top six to end the year after Auston Matthews‘ injury, skating on the left side of a top line with John Tavares and William Nylander.
A natural center, he can play all three forward positions. His possession numbers this season weren’t ideal – a Corsi share of just 45.7% at even strength – but the same could be said for virtually every other Leaf.
The other five had all been recalled in the days and weeks following the trade deadline as the selling Leafs wanted to get some fresh faces in the rotation down the stretch. None of them jumped out in a notable way, though. Quillan was the only one to receive a real look this year, suiting up 23 times, but was limited to a 1-2–3 scoring line while going 42% on faceoffs. His two hits per game ranked sixth on the team (min. 10 GP) and were the most impactful feature he brought to the table as his possession play struggled.
Haymes, Tverberg, and Villeneuve all combined for one assist in nine games, belonging to Haymes, as they each got a few reps down the stretch. Akhtyamov started two of the Leafs’ final four games with Anthony Stolarz sidelined and allowed 11 goals on 76 shots for a .855 SV% in a pair of losses. Including a relief appearance back on Dec. 13, Akhtyamov conceded 0.6 goals above expected through his first three career outings, per MoneyPuck.
Toronto Maple Leafs Recall Dennis Hildeby
The revolving door of the Toronto Maple Leafs’ backup goaltender continues, with Anthony Stolarz done for the season with a lower-body injury. The Maple Leafs announced that they’ve reassigned netminder Artur Akhtyamov to the AHL’s Toronto Marlies and recalled Dennis Hildeby in his place.
Because of the numerous injuries to Stolarz this season, Hildeby, 24, has spent quite a bit of time with the Maple Leafs. Throughout his three years playing in the organization, the 2025-26 season has provided Hildeby with the most opportunities at the NHL level.
For the most part, he’s played particularly well in those appearances. Hildeby has managed a 5-6-4 record in 19 games this season with a .910 SV%, 2.90 GAA, and 7.3 Goals Saved Above Average (according to HockeyReference).
For one reason or another, that stability with the Maple Leafs hasn’t translated to his time with the Marlies. In 22 AHL games this year, Hildeby has a 9-8-8 record with a .896 SV% and 2.70 GAA.
Still, his performance this season makes Hildeby an obvious trade candidate this offseason. Yes, this year has proven that Toronto needs an experienced third-string option given Stolarz’s injury troubles. However, given that they signed Akhtyamov to a three-year extension last month, that leaves Hildeby in a difficult spot.
Meanwhile, Akhtyamov, 24, returns to the Marlies, where he has almost exclusively played this year. The Kazan, Russia native, has had a respectable 2025-26 campaign, managing a 20-12-6 record in 36 games with a .903 SV% and 2.90 GAA. Unfortunately, his start last night against the Dallas Stars didn’t go well, as Akhtyamov gave up six goals on 32 shots (.813 SV%).
Maple Leafs Announce Several Roster Moves
Earlier this afternoon the Toronto Maple Leafs shared several roster moves: Benoit-Olivier Groulx has been assigned to the AHL’s Toronto Marlies, while a number of players have been recalled from the farm club on an emergency basis. Goaltender Artur Akhtyamov, forwards Luke Haymes and Ryan Tverberg, and defenseman William Villeneuve have all joined the Leafs ahead of their game at the Islanders.
A number of Maple Leafs are banged up, and with games inconsequential at this point, they have little to lose in giving a look at some younger players. Out of the bunch, Akhtyamov and Haymes are in the lineup, while Tverberg and Villeneuve were not needed tonight after all.
Headed back down, Groulx made a name for himself quickly, as he’s led the Marlies in scoring with 27 tallies in 55 games in 2025-26. A former notable Ducks prospect drafted in the second round, the French center provided a spark with five points in his first six games as a Leaf in early March. He’s since been scoreless in seven straight, despite a decent share of usage. With just three games left on the schedule, Toronto may leave Groulx to stay down as a top AHL contributor.
Akhtyamov, 24, made his NHL debut in December where he made five saves in just 10:32 of action. Tonight presents a taller task, as he’ll have to backstop the Leafs against a desperate Islanders club in new head coach Peter DeBoer’s debut.
Chosen in the fourth round of the 2020 draft, the Russian has gotten a steady dose of action with the Marlies over the past two seasons, posting a save percentage over the .900 mark across 62 regular season games. As part of a thin pool, Akhtyamov has been referenced as a top 10 prospect which would not be the case in some other organizations. Sitting behind fellow 24-year-old Dennis Hildeby, and with Anthony Stolarz and Joseph Woll locked up for the foreseeable future, he faces a long road toward his projected upside as a NHL backup.
Up front, it’ll be a memorable night for Haymes, as he’s making his NHL debut. Centering the third line, the 22-year-old was undrafted out of Dartmouth College, catching on with Toronto and taking a step forward with 32 points in 64 games with the Marlies this year.
As a do-it-all forward in the Marlies’ middle six, the 6’1” lefty would hope to follow a Bobby McMann type of development curve, eventually becoming a surprise NHL contributor. Even if a 20-goal output isn’t on the horizon though, Haymes has the skillset to be a depth bottom sixer at the NHL level, having progressed nicely this season.
Villeneuve, 24, is also a fourth rounder of Toronto’s 2020 draft class. Over the past four years the 6’2” lefty has put up strong offensive numbers with the Marlies, including a 40-point effort in 55 games last season, but he’s still awaiting his NHL debut. A restricted free agent this summer, he’d certainly enjoy an opportunity to showcase his strong skating and offensive instincts, but even if it doesn’t come, Villeneuve is a valuable AHLer.
Rounding out the bunch, Tverberg shares the distinction of being a 2020 draftee, although his name wasn’t called until the seventh round. The former University of Connecticut standout has put together a solid season in the AHL with 32 points in 61 games, impressive for any player drafted 213th overall. The Ontario native has blistering speed, crucial for any energy forward hopeful, and similar to Villeneuve, an NHL appearance would go a long way before contract expiration shortly.
After tonight’s action on Long Island, Toronto is off until Saturday as they’ll host Florida. That’s likely enough time for their roster to heal up, leaving the group to return to the Marlies, who have secured a spot in the Calder Cup playoffs and therefore will be needing them back.
East Notes: Maple Leafs, Mehlenbacher, Berglund
Tonight’s game was a tough one for the Maple Leafs. The team announced (Twitter links) that goaltender Anthony Stolarz (lower body), defenseman Brandon Carlo (lower body), and forward Dakota Joshua (upper body) all exited their game against Washington due to injuries.
Stolarz went down just 2:34 into the game after extending to make a save and dropped to the ice in pain. He was helped off and couldn’t put any weight on his leg while Joseph Woll took over for the rest of the game. Carlo made it through two periods, playing into the final minute of the second but didn’t come out for the third while Joshua was injured on a hit from Rasmus Sandin in the back half of the middle frame. The Maple Leafs have a quick turnaround as they’re set to play against the Islanders on Thursday; it wouldn’t be surprising to see several recalls before that contest. One of those will be netminder Artur Akhtyamov as TSN’s Mark Masters relays (Twitter link) that the youngster will be brought up and make his NHL debut against New York.
Elsewhere in the East:
- Red Wings prospect Owen Mehlenbacher is entering the NCAA transfer portal, reports Mark Divver of the New England Hockey Journal (Twitter link). The 22-year-old center was a seventh-round pick by Detroit back in 2022 and has played three college seasons so far. The first two were spent at Wisconsin where he managed 10 points in 51 combined games. This season, Mehlenbacher played at UMass after going through the portal last offseason, tallying three goals and six assists in 32 appearances. At this point, it seems unlikely that Detroit would want to sign Mehlenbacher based on how things have gone so far so he’ll be banking on finding a landing spot where he can have a big senior season.
- The Flyers are attempting to bring prospect Jack Berglund to North America to get him some action with AHL Lehigh Valley, relays Anthony DiMarco of Daily Faceoff. The 19-year-old forward was a second-round pick back in 2024, going 51st overall. Berglund had seven goals and five assists in 40 games with SHL Farjestad this season and has another year under contract with them. Kevin Kurz of The Athletic adds (Twitter link) that Philadelphia would like to have Berglund in training camp with them next season which suggests they intend to sign him to an entry-level deal for next season.
Maple Leafs Sign Artur Akhtyamov To Extension
The Toronto Maple Leafs are retaining some of their goaltending depth for the foreseeable future. According to a team announcement, the Maple Leafs have signed netminder Artur Akhtyamov to a three-year contract extension.
It’ll be a $2.7MM ($900K AAV) contract for the 24-year-old Russian. The contract will start as a two-way deal for the 2026-27 season, then convert to a one-way deal for the 2027-28 and 2028-29 seasons, according to Toronto’s announcement.
It implies, at the very least, that the Maple Leafs believe that Akhtyamov will become a consistent part of the NHL roster in the near future. Still, it’s not a guarantee, as Toronto has Joseph Woll signed through the 2027-28 season, while Anthony Stolarz is signed until the 2030-31 campaign.
Regardless, it’s difficult to argue that Akhtyamov didn’t earn a few more years to test his mettle. Since moving to North America ahead of the 2024-25 campaign, Akhtyamov has managed a 29-18-13 record in 58 games with the AHL’s Toronto Marlies, with a .903 SV% and 2.84 GAA, including four shutouts.
Earlier this season, when the Maple Leafs were dealing with a few injury issues in the crease, Akhtyamov was allowed to debut in the NHL against the Edmonton Oilers on December 13th. He participated in 10:32 of the game, stopping all five shots faced.
Given the injury issues faced by Toronto, particularly in the crease, it wouldn’t be surprising to see Akhtyamov feature in a few more games next season. Still, the fact that the Maple Leafs chose to sign Akhtyamov to a relatively lengthy extension indicates that the team could move on from netminder Dennis Hildeby this offseason. Hildeby has been part of the Maple Leafs’ organization since the 2022-23 season but has not received a significant opportunity at the NHL level, even though he has performed relatively well.
Maple Leafs To Activate Joseph Woll From Injured Reserve
Maple Leafs starter Joseph Woll will return to action tonight against the Blackhawks, head coach Craig Berube told reporters (including Chris Johnston of TSN and The Athletic). Toronto will need to open a roster spot to activate him from injured reserve. In all likelihood, that will mean returning goaltender Artur Akhtyamov to the AHL’s Toronto Marlies after they summoned him earlier this month in the wake of Woll’s injury.
Woll has missed the Leafs’ last four games after sustaining a lower-body injury in their win over the Hurricanes on Dec. 4, leaving the game after the second period. It was the 27-year-old’s second multi-game absence of the season. He missed the first 18 games of Toronto’s schedule while on personal leave.
While the 2016 third-round pick’s availability has limited him to eight starts, he’s played some of the best hockey of his career while doing so. He doesn’t have the best goal support – the Leafs offense has only averaged 2.75 goals per game with him in net – but he’s held up his end of the bargain with a .923 SV% and 2.44 GAA to come up with a 4-3-1 record.
When healthy, Woll’s $3.67MM cap hit through 2027-28 ranks among the best value contracts for a goalie in the NHL. He’s posted above-average save percentages in each of his five NHL seasons and has saved 29.5 goals above expected in 75 appearances since emerging as a full-time option in 2023-24, per MoneyPuck.
However, the former top prospect has started more than 30 games in a season only once. He could still feasibly do it this season if he stays healthy, only needing to start 22 times in 51 games, but that’s a big if.
His availability is critical as Toronto remains without Woll’s tandem partner, Anthony Stolarz, indefinitely. After Stolarz stumbled out of the gate with a .884 SV% and -5.3 GSAx in 13 games, he sustained an upper-body injury on Nov. 11 and hasn’t played since. Today, Berube confirmed he’s not dealing with a concussion but that he’s still far from a return and will see another specialist (via Johnston).
Yet the emergence of third-stringer Dennis Hildeby has removed a lot of drama from Toronto’s crease over the last several weeks. Stepping in for Stolarz and Woll, the gargantuan 24-year-old is making a serious push for a full-time NHL job with a .920 SV%, 2.72 GAA, one shutout, and a team-leading 7.2 GSAx in seven starts and four relief appearances. Since Woll’s injury, Hildeby has recorded a .934 mark, seventh in the league among goalies with multiple starts since Dec. 4.
Hildeby’s hot hand should allow the Leafs to keep Woll fresher in a reduced workload, getting the best out of both goalies until Stolarz is ready to return – if he can return this season. The 2022 fourth-round pick signed a three-year, $2.53MM contract as a restricted free agent this past offseason that pays him the league minimum salary through the 2027-28 campaign, a deal that’s now quietly one of the biggest wins from Toronto’s summer.
As for Akhtyamov, the 24-year-old made his NHL debut on Saturday when he entered a 6-3 loss to the Oilers in relief of Hildeby in the third period. In the final 10:32 of regulation, he faced five shots and did not allow a goal. He still looks like he’s a few years away from challenging for an NHL role, posting a .896 SV% and 3.04 GAA in 12 appearances for the Marlies this year.
Maple Leafs Place Joseph Woll On IR
The Toronto Maple Leafs’ situation between the pipes has hit a new low for the 2025-26 season. The Maple Leafs announced that they have placed netminder Joseph Woll on the injured reserve and have recalled Artur Akhtyamov in a corresponding roster move.
Woll, who suffered a lower-body injury against the Carolina Hurricanes on Thursday, had become Toronto’s de facto starter over the last few weeks. Considering fellow netminder Anthony Stolarz has missed nearly a month with an upper-body injury, the Maple Leafs had to rely on Woll for some stability in the crease.
That’s exactly what he provided. In his eight starts since Stolarz departed from the active roster, Woll has managed a 4-3-1 record with a .923 SV% and 2.44 GAA. According to Hockey Reference, Woll’s 6.1 Goals Saved Above Average has already surpassed Stolarz’s output, despite the latter playing in five more contests.
Moving forward, until one of Woll or Stolarz returns, Toronto will have to rely on an inexperienced duo to navigate them through the next little while. It’s expected that Dennis Hildeby will assume the starting role, as he’s earned a 1-2-1 record in six starts this year with a .919% SV% and 2.86 GAA.
However, Hildeby has only 13 NHL appearances under his belt, earning a combined record of 4-5-1 with a career .896 SV% and 3.12 GAA. Akhtyamov, on the other hand, has never suited up in an NHL contest and is only in his second professional season in North America.
Despite being in his second campaign with the AHL’s Toronto Marlies, Akhtyamov, 24, hasn’t shown any meaningful signs of growth. He owns a career 18-13-7 record with the Marlies with a .900 SV%, and has only averaged a .896 mark this season.
Maple Leafs Activate Joseph Woll, Recall Easton Cowan
The Maple Leafs announced they’ve activated goaltender Joseph Woll from long-term injured reserve and also recalled top prospect Easton Cowan from AHL Toronto. In a pair of corresponding transactions, they returned goaltender Artur Akhtyamov to the AHL and placed captain Auston Matthews on injured reserve. Toronto wasn’t dipping into its LTIR pool, so creating cap space wasn’t an issue regarding Woll’s activation.
While Woll has been activated from LTIR, they haven’t yet specified whether he’s been recalled from the conditioning stint that has had him suiting up in the minors for the last week. If they do summon him, he could be in line for his first start of the season tomorrow against the Blackhawks. The 27-year-old netminder departed the team in the first few days of training camp for personal reasons and was away for over a month before beginning the return-to-play process in late October. He got in a few practices before being assigned to the Marlies on a conditioning stint to get into game action. In his first minor-league showing in two years, he logged a .885 SV% and 3.72 GAA with a 0-1-1 record in two starts.
The Leafs hope Woll can provide better numbers in his return than what he showed in that small AHL sample. Toronto’s crease has been a mess after churning out some of the league’s best goaltending in 2024-25. Starter Anthony Stolarz, who was overworked in Woll’s absence and is now day-to-day with an upper-body injury, has struggled to the tune of an .884 SV% and has allowed 5.3 goals above expected in 13 starts, per MoneyPuck. The team claimed Cayden Primeau off waivers from the Hurricanes at the beginning of the season to serve as Stolarz’s backup in Woll’s absence, but he faltered with an. 838 SV% and allowed a whopping 6.8 goals above expected in just three starts before being waived again and re-claimed by Carolina.
Third-stringer Dennis Hildeby has been forced into action in the past several days with Primeau’s loss and Stolarz’s injury, and he’s been the best of the bunch. Despite a 0-2-1 record in two starts and two relief appearances, he’s logged a highly respectable .904 SV% behind a lapsing defense and has stopped 1.6 goals above expected.
Until Stolarz’s short-term absence comes to an end, it looks to be Hildeby’s and Woll’s crease. While injuries and other long-term absences have been a consistent hindering factor for the once-promising prospect, Woll has performed at a legitimate starter’s level when given the runway. He started a career-high 41 games last year in what was his second season as a full-time NHLer, rattling off a 27-14-1 record with a .909 SV% and 2.73 GAA. He wasn’t on the level of Stolarz’s league-leading .926 SV%, but still ranked 11th in the NHL with 16.8 goals saved above expected.
Getting top-15 play out of Woll again won’t be a permanent fix to the Leafs’ league-worst 3.83 goals against per game, but it should stop the bleeding enough to give them a chance to get themselves back into the playoff conversation. Now on a four-game winless streak, the reigning Atlantic Division champions are second-last in the division with an 8-8-2 record.
As for Akhtyamov, he’d been recalled to serve as Hildeby’s backup for last night’s overtime loss to the Kings. He promptly returns to the minors, where he has a .894 SV% in six games, in place of Woll.
Goaltending isn’t the only position the Leafs are shaking up today, though. Cowan, the team’s first-round pick in 2023, will be getting his second call-up of the season after essentially spending the first month of the campaign on the active roster. The 20-year-old winger got reps in top-line minutes with Matthew Knies and Auston Matthews, but also spent a good chunk of time on the third line with Dakota Joshua and Nicolas Roy. With Matthews out for the time being, it’s unclear where he’ll slot in this time around.
Cowan is in his first pro season after starring in back-to-back OHL title runs for the London Knights. He averaged 12:33 of ice time through his first 10 NHL games and was noticeably involved, rattling off 15 shots on goal on 30 attempts. That only resulted in one goal and three assists, but more production will inevitably come with that kind of chance generation. He’s also managed an assist in two AHL games since being reassigned earlier in the month.
Matthews’ IR placement is simply a formality for roster juggling purposes. He’s already been ruled day-to-day with a lower-body issue and was expected to miss about a week after leaving Tuesday’s loss to the Bruins. The seven-day minimum doesn’t affect his return timeline in a meaningful way, aside from being officially ruled out for another two games. He could return next Thursday against the Blue Jackets.
Auston Matthews Out Roughly One Week, Anthony Stolarz Day-To-Day
Maple Leafs star Auston Matthews avoided a serious lower-body injury when he left Tuesday’s loss to the Bruins following a heavy hit from Nikita Zadorov. He’s been given a day-to-day designation but has been ruled out for tonight’s contest against the Kings with another absence or two expected after that, Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet reports. Starting goalie Anthony Stolarz also left that contest with an upper-body issue and has also landed a day-to-day designation and won’t play against the Kings, per TSN’s Mark Masters, but hasn’t been ruled out for Saturday against the Blackhawks. With backup Joseph Woll still working his way back to playing shape in the minors on a conditioning stint, Toronto announced they’ve recalled netminder Artur Akhtyamov from AHL Toronto to backup third-stringer Dennis Hildeby tonight. Center Scott Laughton was placed on injured reserve in the corresponding move.
The injury is another speed bump in what’s been another slow start from Matthews. The three-time Rocket Richard Trophy winner has seen his chance generation numbers drop significantly since his generational 69-goal season in 2023-24. In 17 appearances this season, he’s managed nine goals and 14 points. That’s a better pace than last year’s extreme fall-off that only saw him tally 33 markers in 67 appearances, but it’s still well below his career-average pace of 0.63 goals per game.
Luckily for the Leafs, their other stars have more than picked up the slack and helped them stay somewhat afloat at .500 despite faltering defense and goaltending. Matthew Knies and John Tavares are both flirting with 100-point paces early on, while William Nylander sits sixth in league scoring with 24 points despite missing three games with a lower-body issue.
But while Matthews was still one of the league’s most dominant two-way centers during last year’s scoring slump, the same can’t be said in the early going in 2025-26. He’s winning a career-best 59% of his faceoffs, but his possession metrics have faltered. The Leafs are only controlling 47.5% of shot attempts and 48% of expected goals with Matthews on the ice at even strength, the first time in his 10-year career that either number has been below 50%.
Nonetheless, Tavares’ resurgence, Nylander’s dominance, and Knies’ continued breakout should help the Leafs weather the storm for a few days. They’re expected to load up the top line with those three, at least for tonight, per Masters.
As for Stolarz, a reset – injury-related or not – is needed. The career elite backup/tandem option has been overtaxed with Woll unavailable, and his numbers have plummeted as a result. Among goalies with at least 10 appearances this season, Stolarz’s .884 SV% ranks 22nd out of 25 names, and his -5.3 goals saved above expected rank 23rd, per MoneyPuck.
Tonight will thus mark Hildeby’s fourth appearance in the last six days. He entered in relief of Stolarz against Boston twice, first on Nov. 8 and then on Tuesday, while starting in a 5-4 loss to the Hurricanes on Nov. 9. Despite his 0-2-0 record, he’s been the best goalie Toronto’s had to offer this season in his limited sample. He’s logged a .909 SV% and 3.74 GAA on 88 shots faced, good for 2.1 goals saved above expected behind the Leafs’ porous defense. He’s leaps and bounds ahead of what he showed in last year’s limited NHL stint, when he had a .872 mark in six showings with a 3-3-0 record.
If Akhtyamov is forced into action, it would be his NHL debut. The 24-year-old was a fourth-round pick by Toronto back in 2020 and is now in his second season in North America. After a decent rookie showing for the Marlies last year, he’s taken a step back with a .894 SV% and 2.82 GAA in six games to start this year, but still has a 4-2-0 record.
Meanwhile, Laughton is on his second injury-related absence of the season. He missed the first 13 games of the year with a lower-body injury and sustained an upper-body issue in just his second game back against the Bruins. Since his IR placement is retroactive to Nov. 8, he’s been ruled out for tonight’s game plus Saturday’s game against Chicago, but will be eligible to come off IR next Tuesday against the Blues.
Image courtesy of Nick Turchiaro-Imagn Images.
Maple Leafs Recall Artur Akhtyamov
The Maple Leafs added some goaltending depth before puck drop in Sunday’s series opener against Ottawa. The team announced (Twitter link) that they recalled netminder Artur Akhtyamov from AHL Toronto to serve as their third goaltender for the time being.
The 23-year-old was a fourth-round pick by the Maple Leafs back in 2020, going 106th overall. He spent the next three seasons primarily playing at the VHL level (one tier below the KHL) with his 2022-23 performance being a stellar one that saw him post a 1.73 GAA and a .943 SV% in 39 regular season games with Neftyanik Almetievsk before improving on those in six postseason outings.
That was enough for Toronto to sign Akhtyamov to a three-year, entry-level deal back in July 2023 although they loaned him back overseas last season. That allowed him to see some regular KHL action, getting in 17 games with Ak Bars Kazan along with 19 outings with Neftyanik before coming to North America this season.
This year, Akhtyamov played in 26 games for the Marlies, second among their goalies with the team largely running through three netminders this season. In those outings, he posted a 2.81 GAA along with a .901 SV%. The other two goaltenders – Dennis Hildeby and Matt Murray – will remain with the Marlies for their playoff run which gets underway on Thursday in Cleveland.