'Those F***ing Giants': Why Dennis Hildeby Is Starting In Goal For The Maple Leafs Against The Blue Jackets

Dennis Hildeby will get the assignment in goal for the Toronto Maple Leafs when the club hosts the Columbus Blue Jackets at Scotiabank Arena on Wednesday.

The rookie goaltender is set to make his sixth NHL start and second against the Blue Jackets this season. The start will give Joseph Woll a break after the netminder started in four games over the course of seven days.

"Woll's had a lot of work. A lot of emotional games, I would say," Maple Leafs head coach Craig Berube said. "Montreal (Canadiens), Tampa (Bay Lightning), like big games and emotional games. A lot of work. So, you know, just with the schedule and everything. Just time for Hildeby to get in there."

Hildeby is 3-2-0 this season with an .891 save percentage. His worst performance came against the Blue Jackets earlier this season when he allowed six goals on 38 shots in a 6-2 loss on October 22. Since that time, Hildeby has responded well and has become Toronto's No. 3 goaltending choice,ahead of veteran Matt Murray, who had been called up for two starts earlier this season.

"The Beast going back to game one. Yeah, calm, cool, collected. He obviously takes up a lot of net, and he's athletic too," Maple Leafs teammate Steven Lorentz said of Hildeby. "He's not just a guy that takes up space. He can move side to side laterally very well. His rebound control is great too. So he's just a good kid. He's always smiling. He's happy to be here, and we love having him in the net. So yeah, we're excited to see what he's got for us tonight."

The 6-foot-7 Hildeby, began the 2024-25 season with the Toronto Marlies, the Maple Leafs' American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate. He was selected in the the fourth round (122nd overall) of the 2022 NHL Entry Draft and carries a cap hit of $843,333 for the 2024-25 season.

With Anthony Stolarz still recovering from a knee procedure, the Leafs have relied on Woll to get a bulk of the starts, but the club has come to rely on the Swedish netminder to help with their depth in the position as they away from the Stolarz' return.

Related: Maple Leafs GM Brad Treliving Explains Why Anthony Stolarz Will Miss Roughly 4-6 Weeks For A Procedure On His Knee

"I think it's good, you know, like those f**king giants," Maple Leafs defenseman Simon Benoit about the size of Toronto's goaltending. "It's good, you know, like it just makes the other team harder to score against us, and they make a really good job. So, it's happy to have them on our team."

Stay updated with the most interesting Maple Leafs stories, analysis, breaking news and more! Tap the star to add us to your favorites on Google News to never miss a story.