Throughout the preseason, the Toronto Maple Leafs are giving a lot of guys opportunities, including Toronto Marlies goaltender Dennis Hildeby.
Back in 2022, the Maple Leafs drafted Hildeby in the fourth round of the NHL Draft. Last season, he got to play with the Marlies where he had a 21-11-7 record with a 2.41 GAA and .913 SV%. According to Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet, the Maple Leafs see him as their secret weapon and have huge plans for him moving forward.
Interestingly enough, it appears as though there were numerous trade offers made for him last season. However, the Maple Leafs stood tall and refused all of them. They know what they have and they don’t want to lose it.
‘Hildeby, who played the whole game and won [on Saturday], someone said to me he was by far the Leafs’ best prospect in the American Hockey League last year, and there’s nothing we’ve seen so far that disputes that.I’m pretty sure they got asked about him last year, and I don’t think they ever considered it seriously, and you can see that they have — I think they’re starting to have bigger future plans for this guy.’
Goaltending is something that the Maple Leafs have struggled with in recent years, so getting a guy who could be a solid option should be the goal. If you can win because of your goalie and not in spite of him, then you are setting yourself up for a lot of success.