Dennis Hildeby bids farewell to the Toronto Maple Leafs in an Instagram post after four years in the organization. Now, he takes on a new chapter in his life with the Tampa Bay Lightning, with a better chance of possibly breaking into the NHL.
It's been a week since goaltender Dennis Hildeby was traded from the Toronto Maple Leafs to the Tampa Bay Lightning. He was sent to the Bolts with a 2027 fourth-round draft pick and a 2028 third-rounder in exchange for 31-year-old center Nick Paul.
On Monday, Hildeby posted his farewell on social media after parts of four seasons in the Maple Leafs organization. His Instagram post was captioned, "Thank you Toronto," signing off with a blue heart.
Most of his time in Toronto was spent in the AHL with the Marlies. The Swedish netminder played in 96 American League games and recorded a .906 save percentage along the way.
His time with the organization ended on a high note, as he was a part of the Marlies team that won the 2026 Calder Trophy. He featured in three games during that run, posting a .921 SP for Toronto.
While he mostly left his mark in the minors, he certainly had an impression in the NHL, which is likely part of the reason why the Lightning acquired the 24-year-old netminder.
This past season, Hildeby appeared in 20 games for the Leafs, stepping in for absences between Joseph Woll - who is now a Philadelphia Flyer - and Anthony Stolarz. In that span, he stood tall for Toronto and really put a spotlight on the goaltending depth the Maple Leafs had.
In those 20 games, he registered a 2.80 goals-against average and a .914 save percentage. Also, in a stretch between Nov. 8 and Jan. 19, when Hildeby was consistently featuring in the NHL, he was tied for the 12th-best SP in the league at .912 among goalies to play at least 15 games between those dates. He fared alongside New York Rangers superstar Igor Shesterkin.
The best game of Hildeby's young career actually came against the team he'll be joining for next season. On Dec. 8, he posted a 29-save shutout against Tampa Bay, earning the first shutout of his NHL career. It was a stellar performance in a 2-0 win for the Maple Leafs that night, and it was his second victory of the campaign.
Now, as a member of the Lightning, he'll have an opportunity to challenge for a regular spot in the NHL. Tampa's starting goaltender role will be Andrei Vasilevskiy's for a long time, but as a backup, only countryman Jonas Johansson stands in Hildeby's way.
Johansson posted a 3.29 GAA and a .884 SP, meaning a chance to climb the ranks and earn more NHL ice time is certainly possible for Hildeby.
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