Toronto Maple Leafs News

Home

Quizzes

Newsletter

Auston Matthews and Matthew Knies celebrate a goal for the Toronto Maple Leafs (Marc DesRosiers-Imagn Images)

Maple Leafs News & Rumours: Matthews, Hildeby, Stecher & Carlo

Originally posted on The Hockey Writers | By The Old Prof | Last updated Jan 2, 2026 3:00 PM ET

If this game needed a reminder of who still drives the bus for the Toronto Maple Leafs, Auston Matthews provided it in bold print. His 14th career hat trick — plus an assist for good measure — powered Toronto to a 6–5 comeback win over a Winnipeg Jets team that continues to unravel on Thursday. The winning goal came in a surprisingly easy way (it’s about time): chaos at the side of the net, a loose puck nobody could quite locate, and Matthews alone in front to finish it with 4:22 left.

The Maple Leafs didn’t make this easy on themselves. Winnipeg built a 4–1 lead, and the night had that familiar, uneasy feeling. It was a game where you start checking the clock instead of the ice. Matthews’ second goal of the night, a power-play goal with two seconds left in the second period, mattered more than it looked at the time, trimming the deficit to one at 4-3. When Troy Stecher tied it again, after Mark Scheifele briefly put the Jets back ahead, the tide finally turned.

Dennis Hildeby deserves a long look here as well. Thrown into the game early after Joseph Woll allowed four goals, the rookie backup steadied things with calm, positional hockey. It wasn’t flashy, but it was composed, and that was enough. The win was Toronto’s fifth in six games, done without William Nylander, Dakota Joshua, or Chris Tanev. Now that Matthews has inched to within one goal of tying Mats Sundin’s franchise record of 420, you have to know that more is coming from the captain.

Item One: Matthews Keeps Chasing Maple Leafs History

Matthews keeps moving up the franchise record book without ever pointing at it. Thursday’s four-point night pushed him to 419 career goals, one shy of Sundin. He also set the franchise record for goals at home in the same game. No ceremony. No pause in play. Just another shift change and on to the next one.

What stood out wasn’t the milestone math, but the manner of it. Matthews didn’t hunt the hat trick. Instead, it found him because he was where he needed to be. Willing to take contact and finish through traffic. Last night, he looked like the most dangerous version of himself, and it’s a version of his game that had been harder to find while he worked through the lower-body issue earlier this season.

There’s a calmness to what he’s doing now—three games back from injury, four goals, four assists, nineteen shots. Not forcing anything. History is coming whether he acknowledges it or not. Matthews seems content to let it arrive on its own time, which somehow makes it feel heavier when it finally does.

Item Two: Hildeby Makes the Most of an Unplanned Night

Relief appearances don’t come with a warm-up or a script, and they rarely come with much margin for error. Hildeby stepped into one Thursday night with the Maple Leafs down 4–1 and the game threatening to slide away. He did exactly what the situation demanded: he settled everything down.

Hildeby stopped 17 shots in relief and gave the Maple Leafs a chance to climb back into it. He carried an amazing sense that the moment wasn’t too big. He tracked pucks cleanly, used his size, and let the play come to him. Once the saves started coming, the bench responded, and the game slowly tilted toward hope.

[Because I watch the games by myself, I don’t know how other Maple Leafs fans feel. But something changed in me after the New Jersey Devils’ game. All season, I’ve been watching for and expecting the team to implode during each game. Last night, I just had the feeling that they had a chance to come back. That was new. It makes me think that the players on the bench feel the same possibility as well.]

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

Hildeby’s play won’t grab headlines the way a hat trick does, but nights like this stick with teams. Hildeby snapped his own winless streak and reminded the Maple Leafs that he can handle imperfect situations. With Anthony Stolarz still working his way back, games like this quietly improve his short-term outlook — not because of the stat line, but because of how he handled the moment.

Item Three: Troy Stecher Brings Joy That Matters

Troy Stecher looks like a player who genuinely loves coming to the rink, and that kind of energy travels. He celebrates like a teammate first, not a player checking the scoresheet. Watch the bench reactions, the body language; other Maple Leafs players enjoy playing with him. Being claimed off waivers can go either way. For Stecher, it seems to have lit a spark.

His goal on Thursday night mattered. Down in the third period, game wobbling, he stepped into a slap shot and tied it 5–5. Nothing fancy. The puck found him, and he shot it. His willingness to jump into space when the moment opened is refreshing. It was his second goal of the season and his first point in a while, but the timing couldn’t have been better.

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

Even when Brandon Carlo returns and minutes get tighter, Stecher feels like a hard player to take out. He plays with pace, moves the puck, and brings something more complicated to measure analytically — joy. Coaches talk about structure and roles, but teams also need players who lift the room. Stecher does that, and nights like this remind you why those guys matter.

What’s Next for the Maple Leafs?

The standings don’t leave much room for admiration. The Detroit Red Wings keep winning. Nobody is handing out favours. These are the kinds of games the Maple Leafs have to bank, not admire after the fact. The team has to string together some wins.

The encouraging part is how they’re doing it. They’re finding wins without everyone in the lineup. They’re getting saves when things wobble. Their best player looks like himself again. That’s the kind of survival that counts this time of year.

The challenge now is consistency. The team can’t wait for Matthews to drag things back into line. If this group can start games the way they finish them, they won’t just be hanging around the playoff picture — they’ll be firmly in it. Right now, it’s simple: the Maple Leafs have to keep stacking points. They can worry about style later.