Dennis Hildeby’s time will come again with the Maple Leafs, but not now and definitely not when Toronto is trying to stay atop the Atlantic Division.
That’s why the club wasted little time after the rookie Hildeby laboured through a 5-1 loss to the Columbus Blue Jackets on Wednesday to swap him out to the farm for veteran Matt Murray.
It was his second loss with under 20 shots against and dropped Hildeby’s NHL save percentage to .878 this season.
Hildeby was caught in a goalie jam, with Joseph Woll and Anthony Stolarz starting well and giving him no playing time with the Leafs, while the Marlies were accommodating Murray’s comeback from bilateral hip surgery, auditioning Russian draft pick Artur Akhtyamov and, after he was hurt, countryman Vyacheslav Peska.
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Leafs head coach Craig Berube said Monday that ideally Hildeby would’ve been summoned when Stolarz underwent minor knee surgery last month after having played more than just eight sporadic AHL games.
For Murray, it will be his second time back with the team this season after being acquired in a trade with Ottawa in 2022, a stint interrupted by injuries.
Ironically, Murray and the Marlies were about as far from Toronto as could be Thursday morning, opening the club’s first-ever California trip with Wednesday’s 3-1 win over the Bakersfield Condors.
That was the 30-year-old former Stanley Cup champion Murray’s fourth straight victory, which included back-to-back shutouts of the Manitoba Moose in Winnipeg, that lowered his goals-against average to an AHL-best 1.68.
Woll, whom Berube wanted to rest against Columbus after he was heavily taxed in a three-game winning streak, spoke of the backup situation at the club’s annual Easter Seals Skate at the Ford Performance Centre.
“It was (Hildeby’s) first experience and it’s not an easy league to go through, a lot of ups and downs. It’s tough to come in when you haven’t played in a week or two. What I can say is that he’s a special goalie. You see him in practice, he doesn’t let a shot go in.
“He has the talent, the mental capacity (and the 6-foot-7 frame), but sometimes results don’t go the way you want to. It’s tough to come in when you haven’t played in a week or two. I’ve had plenty of experience with that and have no doubt he’ll be great for us.
“With that said, Murray is a great goalie as well. I ave a lot of faith in all the goalies in our organization, a testament to all the coaches in our organization and management.
“That (Murray’s comeback with nearly a full year off) was not an easy thing to do, not only make the NHL once, but twice. It speaks to his drive and motivation, something I saw a lot of this summer (at the Ford Centre informal practices).”
Woll is expected to start Saturday in Ottawa while Stolarz is expected to re-join full practice within the next few days.
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