When the Toronto Maple Leafs signed Sergei Bobrovsky to a three-year contract, it became obvious pretty quickly that the Leafs were going to be making some changes to their crease. In addition to this, the emergence of Artur Akhtyamov during the Toronto Marlies’ Calder Cup run made goaltending prospect Dennis Hildeby expendable, especially considering he will require waivers in 2026-27. With this in mind, the Leafs traded Hildeby and a pair of draft picks to the Tampa Bay Lightning in exchange for forward Nick Paul.

In an interview with a Swedish outlet, Hildeby reflected on his first experience with being traded, saying that the call came in right before he was getting ready to watch a World Cup game.

“I got the phone call about five minutes before Belgium played Senegal,” Hildeby said. “It was definitely a first for me, I’d never experienced being traded before. As a player, you always know it’s possible, so it’s always somewhere in the back of your mind.”

Asked if it was difficult to focus on the game after getting the trade call, he laughed and lamented having to miss the game.

“I missed the first 45 minutes and then had to catch up afterward.”

The Lightning identified a need in their crease, and while Hildeby’s likely not going to steal the starting job from Andrei Vasilevskiy anytime soon, he says that the opportunity to share the crease with a star like Vasilevskiy is not something he’ll take for granted.

“It’s a tough competition, but also something really special and exciting,” Hildeby continued. “As a goalie, getting to spend time around someone like him is incredibly valuable. You get to watch him every day and learn from him. He’s a goalie that I’ve looked up to for a long time, so it’s really cool.”

Hildeby recorded his first NHL shutout in 2025-26, ironically against the Lightning. It was a memory from an eventful three years in Toronto for Hildeby, and he won’t forget about what the city did for him.

“I spent three seasons there and grew a lot, both as a hockey player and a person. I really enjoyed my time there, and there were so many people that took care of me.