The Toronto Maple Leafs had two players who had to file for salary arbitration on Saturday. Winger Nick Robertson elected to do so by the 5 pm deadline, while goaltender Dennis Hildeby chose not to.
Robertson scored a career-high 15 goals in his second full NHL season, but was frequently in and out of the lineup due to inconsistent defensive play. The 23-year-old appears to have shaken off the injury issues that plagued him in the first three years of his NHL career, but the issue now is fitting Leafs head coach Craig Berube’s more physical style. Toronto has until 5 pm Sunday to decide whether it will exercise its option to go to arbitration.
GM Brad Treliving has been consistent in his statements that Robertson is a talented player, but there has to be a question whether his status with the club and an opportunity to play higher in the lineup will be impacted by the departure of Mitch Marner in free agency to the Vegas Golden Knights.
Hildeby was the Leafs third-round pick in 2022 after playing seven regular-season games for Farjestads in the SHL following a recovery from double hip surgery the previous year. The 23-year-old had an excellent AHL rookie season in 2023-24, with a 21-11-7 record, 2.41 GAA, and .913 save%. His sophomore campaign was a slight step back (16-9-4, 2.55 GAA, .908 save%), but the 6’7″ Swede made his NHL debut playing six games (3-3-0, 3.16 GAA, .878 save%).
Because Hildeby did not elect for salary arbitration, he is still eligible to receive an offer sheet from another NHL club.
