Six weeks into the 2026-27 season, John Chayka’s goaltending overhaul in Toronto already looks like the kind of gamble that can swing a season one way or the other. The Maple Leafs’ general manager turned over the crease in a big way over the summer, and the early results have been mixed enough to keep the debate alive.
The biggest move was sending Joseph Woll out of Toronto and bringing in Sergei Bobrovsky. Woll went to the Philadelphia Flyers with Benoit in exchange for Emil Andrae, Samuel Ersson and a 2026 third-round pick, 85th overall. The reaction from Leafs fans was immediate, especially after Woll’s 2025-26 numbers and the belief that Dennis Hildeby still had a bright future.
Woll’s Leafs tenure ended with 117 games, a 63-43-9 record and a .906 save percentage. In Philadelphia, he has been sharing the net with Dan Vladar and has gone 1-6-2 with a .899 save percentage and a 3.12 goals against average. His goals saved above expected has been decent, though that comes with the caveat of playing behind a struggling team.
Toronto’s side of that deal has not looked nearly as good so far. Bobrovsky, fresh off Saturday night’s 4-2 loss to Montreal, is sitting at 3-7-2 with a 3.34 GAA and a .886 SV%. With a three-year contract worth $7 million per season, the signing is looking worse by the day.
The one bright spot in the crease has been Anthony Stolarz. He has been excellent, posting a 5-1-0 record with a 2.66 GAA and a .910 SV%. That’s why, even with the backlash around Woll’s departure, Chayka can at least point to Stolarz and say the decision to keep him has held up.
The rest of the Woll trade has not produced much of a clear winner either. Benoit has settled into a third-pairing role with the Flyers, appearing in 13 games with one goal and 18 penalty minutes while averaging 14:25 of ice time.
Ersson was later flipped to Ottawa for a 2027 fifth-rounder, and Andrae was moved to the Columbus Blue Jackets in the Kirill Marchenko deal. When the dust settles, the return is essentially that “highly coveted” 85th pick and cap space.
Dennis Hildeby’s exit brought back Nick Paul, along with a 2027 fourth-rounder and a 2028 third-rounder. In Tampa Bay, Hildeby has gone 3-0-1 with a 2.95 GAA and a .880 SV% through 16 games. Back in Toronto, the crease spot he vacated has gone to Artur Akhtyamov, the goalie who beat him out during the Toronto Marlies’ Calder Cup run last year.
Akhtyamov put together a 15-7 record in that playoff run with a 2.22 GAA, .923 SV% and two shutouts. This season, though, he has stumbled through seven games with the Marlies, going 2-3-3 with a 2.97 GAA and .876 SV%. It’s early, and there’s still hope he turns it around, but the start has not matched last year’s surge.
Paul has given Toronto a useful, if uneven, presence. He has bounced between the second and third lines, played 18 games, and produced two goals and four assists for six points. He’s averaging 16:16 per game, has a minus-four rating, 17 shots on goal, a 44.9% faceoff rate and has brought more physicality.
The Hildeby move, at least, makes some sense in the bigger picture. With Akhtyamov stepping up last season, Hildeby had become the Leafs’ fourth netminder, and a return to the Marlies would have meant waivers. That made the trade the practical move.
For now, the overall verdict on Chayka’s work in goal is simple: it’s a wash. Toronto’s goaltending does not look better or worse than it did last season, but Bobrovsky’s early struggles create real risk.
If he keeps sliding, the contract could age badly. He’ll need a huge effort over the next 66 games, with the hope that he can get back to at least average form.
And in Toronto, average might be enough most nights for the offense to do the rest.
In Other News...
Maple Leafs Loss To Montreal Came With An Even Bigger Concern
The Maple Leafs left Montreal with more than a loss to sort through after a 4-2 defeat that featured a strong night from the Canadiens and an unwelcome injury scare for Toronto. Alex Newhook drove the offense for Montreal, Zachary Bolduc added a power-play goal and Jacob Fowler turned aside 26 shots as the Canadiens controlled enough of the game to hand Toronto another frustrating result.
Morgan Riellys exit in the second period with a lower-body injury quickly became the bigger concern for the Leafs, especially with the team already trying to steady itself after the loss. Toronto will want clarity on Riellys status soon, because the blue line takes on a different look when one of its most important defensemen is forced out early. [Read more 🡒]
Leafs Loss To Montreal Brought One Big Concern Into Focus
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There was at least one bright spot in John Tavares return, which Hiller said had a positive effect on William Nylanders play, but the mood around the room was still shaped by the injuries and mistakes that piled up. Hiller also addressed Gavin McKennas turnovers as part of the conversation, a reminder that Torontos margin for error is getting thinner as it tries to steady itself after another uneven outing. [Read more 🡒]
Canadiens Face One Huge Question As Superstar Fit Emerges
A fan-driven trade idea making the rounds this week put Toronto in the middle of another big-name defense discussion, and the reaction was about as lopsided as it gets. The proposed deal would have brought Detroits Simon Edvinsson into the Maple Leafs orbit, but voters overwhelmingly shot it down, with 92% disapproving the concept.
The interest in Edvinsson still says something about where Torontos attention is right now, especially with the market for impact players never far from the conversation. Even as other teams sort out their own lineup situations, the Leafs are left weighing whether a move like that ever makes sense for their roster, cap picture and long-term blue-line plans, which is exactly why this kind of chatter keeps hanging around. [Read more 🡒]