Jim Hiller is sticking with Sergei Bobrovsky as his starter, and it tells you plenty about how the Maple Leafs are building this roster.
That call landed this offseason, Hiller’s first real test since taking over behind the Toronto bench, and it says a lot about where trust still sits in that crease. Bobrovsky posted an .876 save percentage across 52 appearances a season ago. That number should scare people.
The Maple Leafs finished 32-36-14 last season, good for 28th overall in the league. Ugly stuff for a team with this much money tied up in its top end. Anthony Stolarz was actually better in relief, running an .893 save percentage over 26 games behind Bobrovsky. Better numbers, fewer starts. Make of that what you want.
Artur Akhtyamov sits third on the depth chart at 24 years old, with just three NHL appearances to his name. He’s the break-glass option, nothing more right now.
So why keep running Bobrovsky out there? Because Toronto’s forward group still has to produce, and Hiller needs his $10 million goaltender to at least be adequate while it does.
Auston Matthews put up 53 points in 60 games last season, still Toronto’s highest-paid player at $13.25 million against the cap. William Nylander scored 30 goals and added 49 assists for 79 points, and he’s been hotter than anyone lately with six points across his last five outings.
Easton Cowan is the name climbing fastest. He’s got seven points in his last 10 games, including five assists, and he’s doing it on a $904,667 cap hit. That’s the kind of production a rebuilding roster prays for from a 21-year-old. Cowan isn’t a fringe piece anymore. He’s forcing his way into real minutes.
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Matthew Knies, by contrast, has cooled off hard. Three points in his last 10 games and a minus-12 rating over that stretch after finishing with 66 points on the year.
Behind the blue line, Morgan Rielly logged a minus-18 season while still drawing $7.5 million against the cap, the kind of number that invites scrutiny no matter the role.
Toronto’s bottom six was built on bargain money. Colton Sissons, Teddy Blueger, Nick Paul and Brandon Duhaime all sit south of $3.2 million individually, cheap depth stacked around the core.
None of it means much if Bobrovsky can’t find his game again. Hiller made his bet. Now the Maple Leafs have to live with it.
Cowan’s hot streak is forcing Hiller’s hand up front, but the real pressure sits between the pipes. In a market that has seen too many promising seasons unravel in the crease, the decision to ride Bobrovsky looks less like a vote of confidence and more like a calculated gamble on a high-priced veteran finding form while the young pieces around him grow into their roles. Whether that gamble pays off will define Hiller’s early tenure more than any other single call.