It’s May, and there is time to kill. Why not talk about waiver eligibility?

There is rhyme and reason to it, and you can learn a lot about it on PuckPedia’s waiver tracker page. Today, it’s just a matter of looking at who is about to lose their waiver status on the Toronto Maple Leafs next season, and the one important player to focus on is Dennis Hildeby.

Of the three, Hildeby is the only one under contract and the one who looks to have a future on the Maple Leafs roster. He is finishing up his fourth year in the NHL, and that is enough to set him loose on the waiver wire. Make no mistake, he would be claimed instantly.

Hildeby’s NHL numbers were spectacular last season, even if there is still a lot of work that needs to be put in. His AHL numbers highlight that Hildeby isn’t a finished product, but his upside is hard to ignore, and if the Leafs aren’t ready to move on from the Woll/Stolarz tandem, there will be a team ready to give Dennis a regular spot in their NHL net.

Hildeby’s waiver status forces John Chayka to immediately make a tough decision in net. Anthony Stolarz is an asset on a reasonable contract, but has a very rough 2026-27 hanging over him, and hasn’t been able to push past 34 regular season starts in the NHL. There’s a market for him, but moving Stolarz would be more about clearing cap space than accumulating assets.

Joseph Woll appears to be a Steady Eddie option for the Maple Leafs and would draw the eyes of teams around the league looking for a young-ish option in net who could be a stabilizing presence on a lot of teams. The Leafs could cash out on him, but would be handing the net over to Stolarz, who may give the Leafs 30 games, Hildeby, who is still a work in progress, and trusting that Artur Akhtyamov is ready to be the third option.

The final option would require the insight of the Maple Leafs goaltending gurus. It depends on how confident the Leafs are in Hildeby and whether his potential is best utilized in Toronto or as a means of upgrading another position. If they aren’t sold on him and aren’t excited to use him next season, cashing out might make sense even if walking away from a goaltending prospect sounds like a terrible idea.

The footnotes to the loss of waivers exempt status are Ryan Tverberg and Braeden Kressler. Both are restricted free agents and are primarily Marlies depth. Tverberg has shown promise at times, but even if the Leafs did bring him back, it’s unlikely that Tverberg would be claimed at a time when rosters are being finalized. If he plays his way into an NHL role in the season, there are likely workarounds to that as well.

Kressler played seven games in the ECHL last season. He’s not going to be a part of the Leafs organization next season.

Both Luke Haymes and Jacob Quillan, if they return to the Leafs, have the potential to surpass their games played limits for waivers eligibility next season. Haymes is 66 games away, Quillan is 46. And in the most unlikely of circumstances, Artur Akhtyamov could lose his waiver eligibility if he is dressed for 57 Maple Leafs’ games next season.

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