Maple Leafs Trade Dennis Hildeby to Tampa Bay for Nick Paul

Following the signing of Sergei Bobrovsky, the Toronto Maple Leafs are trading goaltender Dennis Hildeby to the Tampa Bay Lightning in exchange for forward Nick Paul, according to reports.

---

The move solves a numbers crunch in Toronto’s crease that was building all day. The Leafs signed Bobrovsky to a three-year, $7 million AAV contract Wednesday, and with Anthony Stolarz already entrenched as the backup, there wasn’t room for everyone. Hildeby was no longer waivers-exempt, thus he had become the odd man out. Rather than risk losing him for nothing or burying him in the minors, Toronto opted to flip him for immediate NHL help up front.

Related: Sergei Bobrovsky Signs 3-Year Deal With Maple Leafs

Hildeby, 24, is a Swedish goaltender the Leafs took in the fourth round (122nd overall) back in 2022. He’d shown real promise in the AHL with the Marlies but had only limited NHL run so far. He’s played 26 game in the NHL, posting a 2.89 goals against and a .906 save percentage.

He’s signed through 2027-28 at a $841,667 cap hit, giving Tampa Bay a low-cost, controllable goaltending prospect to develop behind their NHL tandem.

The return, Nick Paul, gives Toronto exactly the kind of depth forward it could use. Paul has built a reputation in Tampa Bay as a physical, reliable middle-six winger — a strong penalty killer and net-front presence who’s chipped in secondary scoring and been a trusted piece of multiple deep playoff runs with the Lightning. He had seven goals and 15 points in 51 games this past season.

For Toronto, it’s a low-cost way to add forward depth on trade deadline day of free agency without touching the roster’s core pieces, while clearing a logjam in net that Bobrovsky’s arrival made unavoidable. For Tampa Bay, it’s a bet on developing a young goaltender for the future in exchange for moving a veteran whose role may have been diminishing.

Next: Oilers Trade Darnell Nurse to Sharks in Blockbuster Deal