Maple Leafs sign Dennis Hildeby to 3-year extension worth $841,667 AAV

The Toronto Maple Leafs signed goaltender Dennis Hildeby to a three-year extension worth $841,667 annually, the team announced in a release.

Hildeby signed a two-way contract for the 2025-26 and 2026-27 campaigns, then the contract turns into a one-way deal for the 2027-28 season.

The 24-year-old played in six games with the Maple Leafs in 2024-25, posting a 3-3-0 record and a .878 save percentage. Hildeby primarily spent the season with the AHL’s Toronto Marlies, where he went 16-9-4 with a 2.55 goals against average and .908 save percentage in 30 games. During the summer, Hildeby received a qualifying offer from the Maple Leafs.

Hildeby is currently ranked as the third-best prospect in the Maple Leafs organization by The Leafs Nation, and it’s clear the team highly values his skill set and massive framework. He’s an ascending talent within the organization, although he’s the clear No. 3 goaltender behind Anthony Stolarz and Joseph Woll entering the upcoming season.

Here’s what Daily Faceoff prospect analyst Steven Ellis wrote about Hildeby, entering the 2025-26 season:

As Toronto’s top goaltending prospect, plenty of eyes will be on Hildeby this season. He’ll be the first goaltender called up in case of an injury to Stolarz or Woll (something that happened to both goaltenders last year), and he’ll need to thrive right from the get-go. But now that he has the sophomore jitters out of the way, Hildeby will have the best opportunity of his career to show the Leafs’ development brass he’s the real deal. It’s unlikely Hildeby will ever be an NHL starter, but becoming a reliable backup is absolutely priority No. 1.

It is most likely that Hildeby enters the 2025-26 campaign as the Marlies’ starter, backed up by Artur Akhtyamov, another promising goaltending prospect within the Leafs’ system. Hildeby will be afforded plenty of time to develop, but it’s clear that the Maple Leafs view him as a player that is on the verge of being ready to graduate to the NHL, even if a full-time starting role may be unlikely.