Торонто Мэйпл Лифс довтлогч Ник Паулыг эгнээндээ нэгтгэж, хаалгач Деннис Хилдеби болон драфтын эрхүүдийг Тампа Бэй Лайтнинг руу шилжүүлэх тохиролцоонд хүрлээ.
Торонто Мэйпл Лифс хаалгач Деннис Хилдеби, 2028 оны драфтын гуравдугаар тойргийн эрх болон 2027 оны драфтын дөрөвдүгээр тойргийн эрхийг өгч, оронд нь зүүн жигүүрийн довтлогч Ник Паулыг авчээ. 31 настай Паул нь 193 см өндөр, 106 кг жинтэй, хоёр талын тоглолтод чадварлаг, төв болон жигүүрийн байрлалд тоглох боломжтой тоглогч юм. Тэрээр 2023-24 болон 2024-25 оны улиралд тус бүр 20 гоол, 40 оноо авч байсан туршлагатай бөгөөд “penalty kill”-д үр дүнтэй ажилладаг нь багийн хамгаалалтад чухал нэмэр болно.
Тампа Бэй Лайтнинг-ийн хувьд 24 настай швед хаалгач Деннис Хилдебиг эгнээндээ нэгтгэсэн нь ирээдүйд чиглэсэн алхам боллоо. Хилдеби өнгөрсөн улиралд Торонто Мэйпл Лифс-ийн төлөө сайн тоглолт үзүүлсэн ч АХЛ-ийн түвшинд Артур Ахтямовтай өрсөлдөж байсан юм. Тэрээр энэ намар “waiver” буюу тоглогчийн шилжилтийн журмаар явах боломжтой тул Торонто Мэйпл Лифс түүнийг алдах эрсдэлээс сэргийлж энэхүү солилцоог хийв.
Энэхүү наймаа нь хоёр багийн хувьд өөр өөрийн хэрэгцээг хангасан шийдвэр болжээ. Торонто Мэйпл Лифс-ийн хувьд 3.15 сая долларын цалингийн хязгаартай Ник Паул нь ирэх гурван улирлын турш багийн бүрэлдэхүүнд үр дүнтэй нэмэлт болох төлөвтэй байна. Харин Тампа Бэй Лайтнинг-ийн хувьд цалингийн цэсээ чөлөөлж, хамгаалалтын бүсээ бэхжүүлэх боломж бүрдлээ. Шинжээчдийн зүгээс Торонто Мэйпл Лифс-ийн үйл ажиллагааг B+, Тампа Бэй Лайтнинг-ийнхийг B- гэж үнэлэв.
Дэлгэрэнгүйг эх сурвалжаас харах
↓Эх сурвалжийг нээх ↓
The trade
Maple Leafs get: Left winger Nick Paul
Lightning get: Goalie Dennis Hildeby, a third-round pick in 2028, a fourth-round pick in 2027.
After signing the Panthers’ starting goaltender earlier in the day, the Maple Leafs headed over to the other side of the state to send one of theirs to the rival Lightning.
Overall, this is a rather fascinating deal between division rivals attempting to one-up one another in the Atlantic. Paul, somehow now already 31 years old, has been a useful player on a good Tampa team for a long time, including producing two 20-goal, 40-point seasons when he was used up the lineup with some of their stars in 2023-24 and 2024-25. He also had a few big goals in the playoffs during their run to the Stanley Cup Final in 2022.
His best fit at this point is likely as a defensively capable presence, however, as he’s an excellent two-way player with a massive frame (6-foot-4, 234 pounds) who can play either on the left side or at center, winning key draws and helping on the penalty kill. All of those are useful traits for the Leafs as they look to replace the departed Scott Laughton and Nic Roy.
Paul’s addition does make Toronto’s earlier acquisition of Colton Sissons feel somewhat unnecessary, especially at the $4.25 million cap hit Sissons signed for, but the Leafs now have a surplus down the middle to deal from if they’re looking to make other moves. And there’s a heavy demand league-wide for centers right now.
It’s worth noting, too, that Paul is coming off a down year where he was frequently injured and deployed mostly with checkers like Yanni Gourde and Gage Goncalves, which was why his production dipped dramatically. In Toronto, it’s likely he would again be used in more of a two-way role, although the Leafs do have a need for someone who can drive some offense from the bottom six, which he may be able to do if paired with the likes of Jack Roslovic or Easton Cowan.
Provided he’s healthy again, Paul is also a bargain at just a $3.15 million cap hit for another three seasons — the type of low-AAV contract that wasn’t available in free agency this year.
Hildeby, meanwhile, is an interesting bet for the Lightning, as the mammoth Swede was excellent in spot duty for the Leafs this past season. Whether or not he can provide that over a longer time frame is a significant unknown, as his AHL results were middling and he actually lost the battle for the crease with the Toronto Marlies to Artur Akhtyamov during their run to the Calder Cup this spring.
Plus, Hildeby, 24, is waiver-eligible this fall, so the Leafs were concerned about losing him for nothing with Sergei Bobrovsky and Anthony Stolarz under contract. It’s certainly possible the Lightning win this deal if he continues to emerge as an NHL-level talent, but that opportunity didn’t seem like it was coming in Toronto.
This deal could end up being one that works out well for both teams in that the Lightning gain some cap flexibility in order to hunt for a big fish on their blue line and the Leafs add a forward with needed versatility and two-way ability.
Hildeby’s development will be the wild card in who “wins” the deal, but the reality is that young goaltenders with potential typically don’t have much trade value around the league. That helps explain why Toronto had to include a couple extra draft picks, given Paul is a much more established player at a high-value position.
Maple Leafs grade: B+Lightning grade: B-
