Toronto Maple Leafs sign depth goalie to cheap three-year deal
The Toronto Maple Leafs have a bit of clarity about at least one part of their goaltending future.
Today, the team announced a three-year deal for Dennis Hildeby, which kicks off in the 2025-26 season. The annual average value of the contract is US$841,667.
Hildeby started six games with the Maple Leafs this past season, putting up a 3-3-0 record with a 3.33 goals-against average and an .878 save percentage.
His name came up earlier this year as a possible playoff saviour, with Toronto starter Anthony Stolarz being knocked out early on in the team’s second-round playoff series against the Florida Panthers.
While he did end up on the bench for a pair of Toronto playoff games this past spring, Hildeby has mostly been in the AHL since being picked by the Leafs in the fourth round of the 2022 NHL draft.
What’s unique about Hildeby’s deal with the Leafs?
Hildeby is slated to start the season on the Toronto Marlies, and for fans, they’d likely hope that he’d spend most of the year there. His only real NHL opportunities so far have come from injuries, so if he’s back in the big leagues, it likely means something has gone wrong with one of Toronto’s two current goalies.
But that doesn’t mean his deal will stay like that forever. He’s signed to a one-way contract in 2027-28, meaning his salary will be the same in the NHL or the AHL, unlike his current pro-rated salary on the other two years of the deal. That wrinkle gives the Leafs an incentive to either promote him to the NHL in two years or opt to move on from him if he’s earning an NHL salary but they don’t see him as a part of their NHL roster.