The Toronto Maple Leafs announced on Thursday that they assigned Dennis Hildeby to the Toronto Marlies while calling up Matt Murray.

The announcement came less than 24 hours after Hildeby was in the net for their 5-1 loss at the hands of the Columbus Blue Jackets, which included allowing Adam Fantilli’s first career hat-trick. Wednesday’s defeat was not squarely at the hands of the young netminder because there were plenty of other factors at play, but his play did not give them great odds of winning the game.

A prime example is Fantilli’s first goal of the game as seen below. Morgan Rielly’s poor read certainly did not help as he was late to get to Fantilli, but Hildeby made an awkward movement with his blocker arm and was too late to reach the puck. It didn’t help matters that this goal against was shorthanded and it put the Leafs in a hole they were unable to get out of.

Reviewing the other goals from the game reveals similar issues of poor read-mistimed movement. They are the kind of mistakes a more inexperienced goalie at the NHL level is prone to make and it is what comes with utilizing a rookie netminder. While it can be forgivable if Hidleby was doing this for a rebuilding team, the Leafs are in contention mode and they cannot afford to be trotting out raw young talent unless they can be trusted to hold their head above water.

With Joseph Woll being the starter at the moment as Anthony Stolarz continues to recover, Hildeby is forced to sit idle for long stretches and is therefore unable to get into a rhythm. It is something that head coach Craig Berube admitted when speaking with reporters after Wednesday’s game when assessing why Hidleby has struggled in recent starts.

“Well, he wants to be better. I mean, he’s got to have the first one, I think. Whatever,” he said. “But he hasn’t played in a long time either. Listen, he’s trying to battle. You know, I’m not going to sit here and blame the goalie. It’s a team game. We got to be better. We had to score some goals, and we didn’t.”

Berube chose to give Hildbey the nod because it was the only chance that Woll could get a rest. With this being the most starts he has had in his NHL career yet, having that opportunity to get some time off in between starts was vital to keeping him fresh as the season progresses.

It would be much easier if Stolarz was available but that isn’t an option at the moment, but it would be a lot easier to pull off if the backup can hold his own and Hildeby has not been able to provide that.

With a record of 3-3-0 along with a .878 SV% and a 3.33 GAA so far this season, there have been far too many shaky moments with Hildeby in the crease. That’s not to say he hasn’t had any moments where he performed well because he did look solid in his first start against the New Jersey Devils and was able to turn around his game against the Buffalo Sabres.

But those positive moments have been overshadowed by the times where his inexperience was glaring and that’s something the Leafs can’t afford at this time. Especially given that he is in only his second full season in North America and it’s just his 14th game overall this season between the NHL and AHL.

“Every goalie in this league has done the same journey,” Hildeby said. “It is challenging, for sure, but you just kind of find a way to deal with it. But I absolutely love my time up here. I’m having a lot of fun, even though the results haven’t been there so far. So, I just try and take every day as it comes and enjoy it. “You just gotta find a way, and I need to do it a little better. Figure out a couple changes maybe.”

It is commendable of him to not feel discouraged by the adversity he is facing and that is the type of mentality you need to have as a goalie to be successful. But Hildeby also needs to get into a rhythm and gain confidence in his game, which he unfortunately won’t be able to do on the Leafs this season. It is therefore imperative that unless the NHL club runs into injuries down the line, he remains with the Marlies for the rest of the season to continue his development.

His exit makes way for Murray to come back up, which comes at a great time as he has been dynamite of late in the AHL. He has won his last four starts, including two straight shutouts against the Manitoba Moose over the weekend. And he is coming off a solid showing against the Bakersfield Condors where he stopped 18 of 19 shots.

Sure, there will be some concerns given how his first stint with the Leafs went this season. In two games, he had a record of 1-1-0 along with a .879 SV% and a 3.74 GAA. But situations like this one were the prime reason why Murray was extended in the first place, and it would give the younger goalies like Hildeby a chance to develop properly.

Simply put, the decision to send Hildeby down to the Marlies was long overdue. While there is no shame in having to go back to the AHL, he needs to get into a rhythm and be in a position where his mistakes are not amplified. That opportunity will not be possible with the Leafs this season and therefore he should remain with the Marlies unless there are further injuries. Murray is what he is at this point of his career and he can afford to sit for stretches of games. At the very least, it will provide Berube with a more dependable option who he can turn to should Woll need more rest.

Until Stolarz is back, the Leafs should ride out their tandem of Woll and Murray for the foreseeable future.