The Toronto Maple Leafs have lost a member of their roster to the waiver wire, but not a whole lot of people will be upset about it.
On Saturday afternoon, before the Leafs host the rival Boston Bruins, it was announced that the Carolina Hurricanes have claimed goaltender Cayden Primeau off of waivers from the Leafs. Toronto originally claimed Primeau off of waivers from the Hurricanes anyways, so with this move Carolina is able to just put the veteran netminder right back down in the AHL without needing to pass through waivers again.
Carolina (re)claims Cayden Primeau off waivers from Toronto.
— Chris Johnston (@reporterchris) November 8, 2025
The Maple Leafs essentially just loaned Primeau for a few weeks to make a few starts and not have someone either too young or too inexperienced backing up Anthony Stolarz.
In a corresponding move, the Leafs have recalled young netminder Dennis Hildeby to be in the NHL tandem and he will be Stolarz's backup against the Bruins, but that shouldn't last long. Joseph Woll has made his return to the Leafs after taking a leave of absence due to personal reasons. When he first spoke with media since his return this week, he expressed gratitude for the organization and just how patient everyone was as he was absent for the first month of the season.
Woll will be going down to the AHL's Toronto Marlies to have a conditioning stint and work his way back into game shape before playing for the Leafs. There is a maximum of 14 days for an AHL conditioning stint, so we should expect Woll back before the month is over.
For the time being, Hildeby should at least provide more hope to the Leafs tandem than Primeau ever did. During the three appearances Primeau made for Toronto, he earned a .838 save percentage and a 4.30 goals against average -- eerily similar to his numbers last season of an .836 save percentage and a 4.70 goals against average in 11 games for the Montreal Canadiens. He just doesn't have it to be an NHL netminder.
Hildeby doesn't have numbers that different -- in six games lats season he earned an .872 save percentage and a 3.33 goals against average for Toronto -- but there is more hope in him as a 6-foot-7, 24-year-old netminder. In five games for the Marlies this season, Hildeby also has been underperforming with a .890 save percentage and a 2.74 goals against average.
But still, there is at least more hope in seeing him not be as terrible as Primeau was or at least be as good until Woll is ready to come back.