Maple Leafs forced into roster moves as Anthony Stolarz officially returns

As the Maple Leafs look to take on Mitch Marner for the first time at home since being traded this past offseason, they will have Anthony Stolarz in net for the first time since November.

However with that comes roster decisions and the Maple Leafs officially made the choice to move Dennis Hildeby down to the Toronto Marlies (AHL) in order to make room for him:

Hildeby was solid while Stolarz was out, as he posted a 6-6-4 record with a .910 SV% since Nov. 11; when Stolarz went down.

It'll be a huge return for the Maple Leafs who also avoided injury issues with Brandon Carlo and Oliver Ekman-Larsson last game, which also led them to demote Matt Benning as well to the Marlies:

There's a lot to love when it came to Hildeby's performance this season and he looked a lot more comfortable even if his record doesn't necessarily reflect that.

With a crucial game staring them down on Friday night, it is not going to be easy especially with the crowd looking at things with a more attentive eye. It's Mitch Marner's first game back in Toronto.



If Stolarz isn't sharp and Vegas runs roughshod over the Maple Leafs, then it's going to be an easy night for the Golden Knights and could overshadow even a negative game from Marner -- Toronto can't afford to lose for any reason tonight.

All that matters right now is that for the first time in two months, Anthony Stolarz will start a game for the Toronto Maple Leafs. Result or not though, that's still great news.

This is a developing story. More details to come.

Also read on Hockey Patrol :
A new team is coming to Ontario, and hockey fans are stunned