The Maple Leafs’ goaltending picture has shifted fast this offseason, and the young-end of the depth chart is suddenly a lot thinner.
Vyacheslav Peksa has signed a one-year deal with Ak Bars Kazan after Toronto had already let his NHL rights expire, and Dennis Hildeby was dealt to Tampa Bay for Nick Paul. With those two exits, Artur Akhtyamov is now the only young goalie in the organization who looks close to an NHL role.
Ak Bars Kazan announced the Peksa signing via social media. The deal is a one-year, two-way contract that runs through May 31, 2027. Peksa was on a PTO with the club before the agreement, and he has since been loaned to Neftyanik Almetievsk of the VHL to begin the season.
Peksa, 23, spent 2025-26 with the Toronto Marlies, where he went 4-4-0 in 12 games with a 3.78 GAA and .869 SV%. His earlier Marlies stint in 2024-25 was even rougher: a 0-1-0 record, 3.77 GAA and .878 SV% in two appearances.
He found more success in the ECHL with Cincinnati in 2024-25, posting a 12-14-3 record, a 2.68 GAA and .904 SV%.
Hildeby’s departure changes the equation even more. He was the most experienced young goalie in Toronto’s system, carrying 26 career NHL games and nearly 100 AHL appearances before being moved in the package for Nick Paul. With him gone and Peksa no longer in the organization, the Marlies’ next layer looks much less NHL-ready.
That puts a heavier load on Akhtyamov, who is set to be the full-time starter for the Marlies. Toronto still has Ken Appleby and Samuel Hlavaj as backup options, but neither brings the same kind of NHL-ready profile Hildeby did.
The Maple Leafs also added Juuso Ainasto and Patriks Plumins in the 2026 draft, though both are viewed as long-term projects rather than immediate help. So the gap between Akhtyamov and the rest of the goalie pipeline has grown.
Toronto’s offseason reset was driven in part by the arrival of Sergei Bobrovsky, and the club had to clear room and money to make that move. Bobrovsky is coming off the worst season of his career and is already approaching 38, which only adds more importance to having a young goalie ready behind the veterans.
For now, Toronto is banking on experience at the NHL level with Bobrovsky and Anthony Stolarz. But the safety net underneath them has changed. If either one goes down, Akhtyamov is the name that suddenly matters most.
After his MVP performance in the Calder Cup Playoffs last season, the Maple Leafs may want to see what he can do on a bigger stage. He no longer has Hildeby beside him in the queue, and with Ainasto and Plumins still years away, Akhtyamov is the clear bridge between Toronto’s veteran tandem and whatever comes next.
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