Pressure Mounts on Maple Leafs to Make a Move or Ride Rookie Goalie

Just as the Toronto Maple Leafs appeared to be hitting their stride, an injury to the red-hot Joseph Woll has created even more adversity for a team that’s faced plenty of it so far this season.

With Anthony Stolarz already on the shelf, Woll’s absence leaves rookie Dennis Hildeby and recent call-up from the Marlies, Artur Akhtyamov, in charge of handling the goaltending duties for the next week at a minimum.

Hildeby got the start on Saturday night against the rival Montreal Canadiens and was one of the main reasons the Maple Leafs even got a point, stopping 33 of 34 shots in a 2-1 shootout loss.

The 24-year-old’s performance earned him another start on Monday against Tampa Bay, where he’ll be tasked with slowing down a potent Lightning lineup that gets both Nikita Kucherov and Brayden Point back from injury.

While Woll isn’t expected to be out for too long, we’ve seen plenty of injury absences drag out in Toronto, particularly with the goalies. Because of that, many are debating whether the Maple Leafs should look to trade for a veteran or ride the rookie and see what they have.

Dennis Hildeby Deserves His Shot

With how well Hildeby has played in limited opportunities thus far in 2025-26, Toronto would be best suited to ride him until one of Woll or Stolarz returns rather than spending some of their already limited assets to trade for a goalie.

Hildeby has put up very strong numbers over the last three years with the Marlies in the AHL, so he’s proven to be deserving of getting a serious look at what he can be at the NHL level.

Whether or not he’ll be able to maintain his 2.51 goals-against average and .927 save percentage while taking over the lead role for a sustained period of time remains to be seen, though all the Maple Leafs are looking for is a steady presence, which is exactly what he’s provided when in the net.

How he fares moving forward could even potentially impact general manager Brad Treliving’s line of thinking when it comes to shopping one of his oft-injured veteran goalies, allowing Hildeby to solidify his place in the NHL in tandem with Stolarz or Woll.

Next: Maple Leafs News and Rumors: Woll Injury, Stolarz Concerns, Trade Talk