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Toronto Maple Leafs goaltender Dennis Hildeby makes a glove save against the Tampa Bay Lightning (John E. Sokolowski-Imagn Images)

4 Unsung Heroes Driving the Maple Leafs’ Recent Success

Originally posted on The Hockey Writers | By Ben Fisher | Last updated Dec 11, 2025 4:40 PM ET

It’s tough to reconcile the alternately good and bad realities facing the Toronto Maple Leafs right now. On one hand, they have won five of their past seven games and have points in five straight while re-asserting themselves firmly in the Atlantic Division mix. On the other hand, the club continues to be without its top two goaltenders and two top defenceman while William Nylander’s uninspired play has prompted a demotion to the third line.

There is, however, an explanation here. Even as the Maple Leafs contend with injuries and the under-performance of top stars, winning has come courtesy of some of their lesser lights. With Anthony Stolarz, Joseph Woll, Chris Tanev, and Brandon Carlo battling injuries, Nylander struggling and Auston Matthews sitting 38th in NHL goal-scoring, Toronto’s recent upswing has been driven by several unsung heroes.

Dennis Hildeby

During last Thursday’s emphatic 5-1 road win over the Carolina Hurricanes, the Maple Leafs’ goaltending was left in a state of major turmoil after Woll suffered a lower-body injury and did not return for the third period. Compounded with Stolarz’s long-term absence due to an upper-body injury, the club turned to Dennis Hildeby, their third-string option.

Hildeby entered the season with six games of NHL experience stemming from the 2024-25 campaign, although his middling early results (3-3-0 with a 3.16 goals against average and a .878 save percentage) didn’t inspire much enthusiasm.

This season, however, the 24-year-old looks like Toronto’s goaltender of the future. Through nine games and five starts, Hildeby owns a 2.15 goals against average (GAA) and .936 save percentage (SV%). Since taking the reins in the starter’s net in light of Woll’s injury, he’s sporting a 0.41 GAA and a .986 SV%. Those obviously aren’t sustainable numbers over any long-term stretch, but they signal plenty of reason for the organization to trust the 2022 fourth-round pick amidst what otherwise looked like a rather disastrous situation between the pipes.

Scott Laughton

Things didn’t exactly go as hoped for Scott Laughton and the Maple Leafs following a mid-season deal that landed the 31-year-old in Toronto last March. Despite being a hometown kid and a strong fit as a gritty third-line centre, he struggled to adjust to his new team and managed just two goals and two assists in 20 games while averaging a mere 13:06 of ice time.

The 2025-26 season got off to a rather inauspicious start for Laughton as well, as the former long-time Philadelphia Flyer missed time due to a lower-body injury suffered in the preseason and a suspected concussion in just his second game back.

Since getting healthy, Laughton has come back with a vengeance. Flashing the fierce toughness he was acquired for, he has been a defensive force and has even brought an offensive dimension of late. The Oakville, Ontario native has three goals in the past four games, including a short-handed breakaway slapshot against the Montreal Canadiens to send the game to overtime on Saturday night.

Troy Stecher

The Hockey Writers’ Peter Barrachini published an excellent piece last week about the stabilizing impact Troy Stecher has had on the Maple Leafs’ blue line since being claimed on waivers back on Nov. 15, highlighting his high motor and strong underlying numbers.

Troy Stecher, Toronto Maple Leafs (Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images)

Alongside Jake McCabe, Stecher continues to impress and earn the trust of head coach Craig Berube. After the 31-year-old’s ice time had dwindled all the way down as a member of the Edmonton Oilers to playing just 8:47 in his final game with the franchise, he has now surpassed the 23-minute mark in each of his past four with Toronto.

Much like the situation in net, the Maple Leafs’ blue line could be in a state of crisis right now with Tanev and Carlo out and no clear return timetable in place. The Stecher addition didn’t exactly generate headlines at the time, but now it looks like a critical move that has yielded an effective top-four stopgap in the short-term and a potentially valuable depth defenceman in the long-term.

Bobby McMann

Bobby McMann won’t be on the ice for Toronto’s Thursday night showdown with the San Jose Sharks as he serves a one-game suspension for his high stick on Oliver Bjorkstrand of the Tampa Bay Lightning. His absence is particularly disappointing in light of how well he’s played lately.

McMann recorded just two goals and three points in his first 12 games of the season. More recently, though, the 29-year-old has caught fire. During the club’s road swing through Pittsburgh, Carolina, and Florida, a 3-0 stretch that arguably turned the tide on their season, McMann scored three goals and added three more assists.

A McMann who is dynamic and active around the net can affect winning no matter who he’s lined up with. If Nylander’s third-line demotion carries beyond tonight, McMann suddenly has a star linemate to play off of who will surely find ample scoring opportunities for the reigning 20-goal scorer. Likewise for a playmaking centre, such as Nicolas Roy, or even Matias Macelli, a recent healthy scratch in desperate need of a spark to elevate his game.

At the start of the season, Hildeby was ticketed for the American Hockey League, Stecher was the Oilers’ seventh defenceman, and Laughton and McMann were bottom-six depth options among the forward corps. Suddenly, they, alongside other unlikely standouts such as Oliver Ekman-Larsson and Dakota Joshua, are driving the club’s current success. Leaning on these players may not be a sustainable long-term option, but it’s working for now.