Dennis Hildeby
During the 2024 offseason, the Leafs managed to build up some strong goaltending depth heading into the 2024-25 year.
With the help of free agency, Toronto now had the starting tandem of Joseph Woll and Anthony Stolarz, along with veteran Matt Murray and the up-and-coming Dennis Hildeby down in the farm with the Toronto Marlies to serve as their safety net.
That depth has now been put to the test when Woll began the year on the injured reserve due to a sustained lower-body injury.
That in turn thrusted Hildeby into the spotlight. As the emergency callup, he now served as Stolarz’s backup in Woll’s absence, but only because the Leafs would have to send Matt Murray through waives when Woll is healthy. If it was a longer term injury with Woll, the Leafs would likely call up Murray instead of giving Hildeby an extended run.
Hildeby didn’t have time to catch his breath as he would go on to make his NHL debut in just the second game of the season for the Leafs. The 23-year-old rookie goaltender did nit disappoint as he ended up faring quite well against a fast Devils squad, stopping 22 of 24 shots en route to his first NHL win of his career.
However, despite how well Hildeby ends up performing in the coming weeks, his tenure with the big club will likely last until Woll makes his eventual return from his injury, which will likely be Wednesday when his 7 day designation on the IR ends.
There isn't currently no timeline for Woll’s potential return but he is only on the 7 day IR and the Leafs didn't call up Murray, so it likely means he'll play this week.