A Sergei Bobrovsky injury threatens the Maple Leafs' playoff hopes

If Sergei Bobrovsky were to get injured this season, that would test Toronto's backup plan with Anthony Stolarz backed by goalies with minimal NHL experience.

The Maple Leafs invested $21-million in three years of Sergei Bobrovsky in the hopes that he'll be the answer to solving Toronto's starter issues and give them a reliable and consistent workhorse who can take a heavy load off Anthony Stolarz.

The expectation is that Bobrovsky will handle the majority of the starts with Stolarz serving as his backup for 20 or so games. That tandem led to a Stanley Cup in Florida, and the Maple Leafs are hoping for lightning to strike twice but this time in 2026-27.

Toronto placed a massive bet on Sergei Bobrovsky staying healthy

However there is a wrench that can be thrown into their plans at any time that could seriously jeopardize their playoff hopes - a Bobrovsky injury.

Though he's been durable for the majority of his career, Bobrovsky has been injured in the past and the risk of a goalie getting hurt in general is always there despite how much work he's put into keeping himself fit.

If that's the case, then it's a massive bet on Bobrovsky staying healthy when he's going to be 38 years old. He's not injury prone per se, but only started 37 games in 2015-16, and 30 games in the COVID-shortened 2020-21 season. The injury in 2015-16 was a groin injury, and the majority of his time away from the ice has been due to that specific injury.

He missed 15 games starting in Feb 2015, and was on the injured reserve the majority of that 2015-16 season. He's shown to be over those issues but the fact he's had several of the same injury that's kept him away is a bit concerning.

If he gets hurt this season and misses the same amount of time, that's a lot of extra pressure on Anthony Stolarz to not only succeed, but stay healthy after two seasons marred with injuries.

A knee injury required surgery in December 2024 and he appeared in only 34 games, meanwhile missed time last season with multiple ailments including another lower-body injury.

Besides him, the team would turn to Artur Akhtyamov who has the potential to be a starter one day, but needs more preparation and time in the NHL before having that pressure on him.

Toronto's backup plan exposes the real risk

So much money and hope was invested in Bobrovsky to help steer the ship that the Maple Leafs completely reshaped their goaltending depth. They traded Joseph Woll to Philadelphia, Dennis Hildeby to Tampa Bay, and Samuel Ersson - who they acquired in the Woll deal - to the Senators.

That left Akhtyamov as the only person who can step up in case of emergency, with the Marlies having Ken Appleby and Samuel Hlavaj as the other alternatives. Appleby has four NHL games in his career, and Hlavaj has never played in an NHL game, only spending time in the AHL thus far in North America though Appleby would need to sign an NHL deal to play.

The cutoff in the wild-card race for points was 99 last season (Ottawa) and only 10 points separated fifth and first. Losing Bobrovsky for 15-20 games is the potential to lose 15-20 points or more depending on who's in net, which could make a difference down the line with a tight playoff race.

There is hope though as Akhtyamov backstopped the Marlies to the Calder Cup in 2026 and secured Playoff MVP honours so there's potential no doubt - but he needs time.

With only one contract slot available and being $2.75M over the cap, the Maple Leafs don't have room to add both a goalie and a scorer. John Chayka has to potentially weigh whether his team can bring enough offence against whether he'll have stable goaltending in case Bobrovsky goes down.

There is always a chance that Stolarz comes in if Bobrovsky gets hurt and plays like his 2024-25 form where he's one of the best goalies in the world - and stays healthy enough to keep Toronto competitive.

But that's a lot easier said than done, and without a backup plan in place in case things go awry, there's little margin for error if their prized signing gets hurt. That would mean Stolarz comes in with minimal experience backing him up.

If that's the case, then it'll be up to the players in front of the crease to carry some of the extra weight now placed upon the Leafs goalies.

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