Toronto Maple Leafs general manager Brad Treliving wants to ‘change the DNA’ of his roster this offseason, and although he’ll be very active on the free-agent market, look for Treliving to get involved in trade conversations, which could result in a goaltender being moved off the Leafs’ roster.
The Maple Leafs are looking to upgrade their forward group and give the roster a facelift in the process to be even more aligned with head coach Craig Berube’s system, which focuses on strong two-way, ‘heavy’ hockey. Treliving has a tall task to get bigger and faster up front, and in order to do so, he should be considering moving out one of his goaltending prospects in a trade package.
Joseph Woll and Anthony Stolarz aren’t going anywhere, as the Leafs’ tandem makes a combined $6.1 million against the cap, allowing for Treliving to focus his $25.7 million in cap space on improving his top three lines. Veteran Matt Murray is a pending unrestricted free agent, so that eliminates a trade option for him, as he’ll look to catch on with the NHL team looking for an experienced backup this summer. This leaves three prospects to consider as trade candidates this offseason, including Dennis Hildeby, Artur Akhtyamov, and Vyacheslav Peksa.
Here’s a summary of how all three goaltenders fared during the 2024-25 season:
| Record | Goals Against Average | Save Percentage | |
| Dennis Hildeby (23) | NHL – 3-3-0 AHL – 16-9-4 |
NHL – 3.16 AHL – 2.55 |
NHL – .878 AHL – .908 |
| Artur Akhtyamov (23) | AHL – 11-8-4 | AHL – 2.81 | AHL – .901 |
| Vyacheslav Peksa (22) | AHL – 0-1-0 ECHL – 12-14-3 |
AHL – 3.77 ECHL – 2.68 |
AHL – .878 ECHL – .904 |
With Woll being 26 years old, entering the prime of his career, and starting a three-year extension in 2025-26, he appears to be a lock in the Leafs’ crease for years to come. Stolarz is eligible for a contract extension in July, and considering the numbers he put up when healthy in his first season in Toronto, there could be an appetite there to extend him for a few more seasons. Frankly speaking, the three goalies listed above have ‘nowhere to go’, so Treliving should be using them as trade leverage to navigate the interest levels of other teams this summer.
Hildeby, to me, is the one to watch, as the towering netminder has shown flashes of brilliance at both the NHL and AHL levels. He’s a monster in the crease at 6-foot-7, and his athleticism has been on display in the Leafs organization for a few seasons now. There should be interest from onlooking teams looking for goaltending depth.
Treliving should look to land a top-nine versatile forward in return for one of his goaltenders, which would entail him adding to the trade package, as unfortunately, his prospects are solid but won’t fetch a massive return on their own. In an ideal world, perhaps a right-handed shot who can play on the wing, but also down the middle, as the Leafs are uber-thin when it comes to right-handed centre options within their organization.
It’s worth mentioning the Maple Leafs invited London Knights’ standout goalie Austin Elliott to training camp next season, after a Memorial Cup run this spring. Elliott stood tall and was named goaltender of the tournament, after posting a 1.59 GAA and .943 SV%, going 4-1 on the way to the championship. This move gives Treliving a chance to see Elliott up close and personal, and gives the Leafs another option for depth in net moving forward.
If Treliving wants to change the DNA of his hockey club this summer, including one of his three goaltending prospects in a trade could be a great kick-start to some movement this offseason in Toronto.
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