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Dennis Hildeby, Toronto Maple Leafs (Photo by Mark Blinch/NHLI via Getty Images)

Maple Leafs News & Rumours: Robertson, Hildeby, Primeau & Cowan

Originally posted on The Hockey Writers | By The Old Prof | Last updated Nov 30, 2025 10:35 AM ET

The Toronto Maple Leafs needed this one badly, even if the 7–2 final made it look far easier than it actually felt. If you squinted, Saturday’s game against the Pittsburgh Penguins looked like the recent outing against the Washington Capitals, which was a game where the Maple Leafs jumped out ahead but didn’t exactly look like they deserved the scoreboard. The difference this time? They didn’t cough up the lead.

Depth scoring finally arrived, Dennis Hildeby held steady, and the Maple Leafs managed something that’s been hard to come by lately: a complete night where everyone contributed.

Toronto’s early goals from Oliver Ekman-Larsson, Bobby McMann, Nicolas Roy, and Easton Cowan built the cushion. By the time Auston Matthews snapped his mini-slump with a clean curl and drag in the third, the Maple Leafs had weathered the worst of Pittsburgh’s pushes. Sidney Crosby still found a way to do Sidney Crosby things, but Toronto answered every swing, never letting the Penguins back into the fight.

For a team wobbling through a stretch of losses and rotating lineups, this was proof that when the Maple Leafs get contributions beyond the top line, they can still look like a group capable of stacking victories instead of surrendering them.

Item 1: The Maple Leafs’ First Period Was That Awkward Middle Ground

Even in a lopsided win, the Maple Leafs spent long stretches in that uncomfortable middle zone where you’re ahead on the scoreboard but not convincing anyone you’re fully in control. After taking a 2–1 first-period lead, Toronto gave up a string of high-danger chances almost immediately. Matthews made a great defensive play, but seconds later, the Penguins stepped into a Grade-A chance. Hildeby bailed them out all evening. This isn’t the pattern Toronto fans want to see from a team trying to stabilize.

On the power play, the Maple Leafs were dangerous but leaky. They generated chances, but they also gave up shorthanded breaks. One clean Penguins’ look nearly tied the game. A composed, veteran team usually settles into a low-event rhythm when they’re up a goal. Toronto didn’t.

Given the team’s history of leaky second periods, the game felt jittery until they scored their third and fourth goals, like a group playing hard but gripping their sticks too tightly. The best goal of the night came when Nicholas Robertson stole the puck on a clever forecheck and deposited it behind the Penguins’ goalie.

Item 2: Toronto’s Goalie Situation — Searching, But Not Desperate

The Maple Leafs are already on their fourth goalie this season. On paper, that’s a crisis. Inside the organization, it doesn’t sound like one. The word is that head coach Craig Berube and general manager Brad Treliving aren’t acting like a management team ready to detonate the roster.

The fact is, the organization’s goalie situation is cleaner than the rest of the team’s play. The defensive play has been inconsistent. While the pressure in Toronto is always turned to “high,” Hildeby’s solid game puts the Maple Leafs in a good situation. I’ve heard no rumours that there’s an appetite behind the scenes for a blockbuster move to trade for a goalie.

Toronto Maple Leafs goaltenders Joseph Woll and goaltender Anthony Stolarz (James Guillory-Imagn Images)

For as iffy as the team has been this season, there seems to be no coaching controversy or internal finger-pointing. The Maple Leafs are likely exploring the market as every team does, but they’re not in “burn the boats” mode. Hildeby’s calm, positionally sound night helped quiet any goalie noise. After a shaky opening ten minutes, the Maple Leafs did a better job clearing the crease and giving him clean sightlines. That’s something the past three goalies didn’t enjoy nearly enough.

[By the way, if you’re trying to recall who the Maple Leafs’ fourth goalie is, it was Cayden Primeau, who ended his three-game stint with the Maple Leafs with a 2-1 record but a 4.30 goals-against average and a .838 save percentage. Seems like an eternity ago. When the Maple Leafs put him on waivers to move him down to the American Hockey League (AHL) Toronto Marlies, the Carolina Hurricanes jumped in to snatch him back. He’s currently playing with the AHL Chicago Wolves.]

Item 3: Continuity Has Mattered for Easton Cowan

During the intermission of last night’s Hockey Night in Canada game, the panel debated whether using the healthy scratch as a motivating tool was a good idea. Easton Cowan is the perfect argument for giving players some lineup stability. He had tons of drive but struggled early with the Maple Leafs, got scratched, and looked like a kid still working on finding his NHL footing. But the coaching staff’s solution was to give him some space and trust.

Easton Cowan, Toronto Maple Leafs (Amy Irvin / The Hockey Writers)

After seven straight games, consistent minutes, and some actual rope to play through mistakes, suddenly, he’s found chemistry, confidence, and impact. His goal in Pittsburgh wasn’t luck; it was the payoff of letting a young player grow inside the lineup instead of outside it.

Why does Cowan’s example matter? It’s because the Maple Leafs’ current competition model feels lopsided. The same fourth-liners rotate out while higher-paid, underperforming players stay untouched. That’s not how internal competition is supposed to work. If you want someone like Calle Järnkrok or Matias Maccelli to rebound, the answer might not be stapling them to the press box. Sometimes the only way out is through. Cowan is evidence that this is the case.

What’s Next for the Maple Leafs?

The Maple Leafs have won games before this season. In fact, their record is 11-11-3 (for 25 points in 25 games). The Maple Leafs’ problem is that they haven’t put together consecutive wins. That’s the next test. Pittsburgh was a step forward, but the habits underneath the result weren’t flawless. The challenge now is to gain some confidence and consistency.

Starting with a calmer approach in their own zone should be at the top of a long list of must-dos. The depth scoring is encouraging, the power play is waking up, and Matthews looks healthy again. If the Maple Leafs can settle on stable lines, define roles, and ease off the lineup roulette, they might finally climb out of mediocrity. But as Berube keeps reminding them, one good night isn’t a turning point.

Two in a row might be. They play the Florida Panthers next on Tuesday night.