The Toronto Maple Leafs put pen to paper on a new contract for prospect goaltender Dennis Hildeby. The 24-year-old signed a new three-year deal that carries an average annual value of $841,667 at the NHL level.
The 24-year-old restricted free agent will be on a two-way contract for the 2025-26 and 2026-27 seasons before shifting to a one-way deal in 2027-28. Hildeby made his NHL debut last season, starting in six games with the Leafs while posting a 3-3-0 record with a 3.33 goals-against average and .878 save percentage.
The 6-foot-7 Swede also got a taste of the NHL when he was called up during the 2023-24 season amid an injury to goaltender Joseph Woll and Ilya Samsonov’s performance issues. Drafted by the Maple Leafs in the fourth-round (122nd) overall in the 2022 NHL Draft, Hildeby has spent most of the last two seasons playing with the Maple Leafs’ AHL affiliate Toronto Marlies, where he’s likely to spend most of the upcoming season.
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The goaltender still has a lot to prove at the professional level. In 73 career games with the Marlies, Hildeby has a 37-21-11 record with a 2.53 goals-against average, along with a 1-3 record in five AHL playoff appearances with a 3.25 goals-against average and .895 save percentage.
It appears so. With Hildeby getting some experience at the NHL level and Toronto looking solid with Anthony Stolarz and Woll, the Leafs appear comfortable promoting Hildeby as the No. 3 whenever he is needed. Unlike acquiring veteran goalies, Hildeby is also exempt from waivers, which has historically been a problem for Toronto.
The structure of Hildeby’s deal allows for the goaltender to know exactly where he is on the organization’s depth chart. He is a young No. 3 who has an opportunity in the long run to earn a spot with the big club down the road if he can continue to develop at the professional level.
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