EDMONTON - The Maple Leafs are going with Anthony Stolarz in goal against the Oilers on Saturday night, while Sergei Bobrovsky will serve as the backup in what coach Jim Hiller called “just a decision.”
Hiller didn’t frame the move as part of any larger plan when he met with the media before the game at Rogers Place. Instead, he pointed to the team’s confidence in both goaltenders and the way Toronto has handled the position through the first stretch of the season.
“A lot of belief in both those two goaltenders, and I’m glad we have them as a tandem,” he said.
Stolarz brings a 3-1-0 record into the matchup, along with a 2.99 goals-against average and a .898 save percentage in four starts. His last outing came Tuesday in Columbus, where he turned aside 36 of 38 shots in Toronto’s 6-2 win.
Bobrovsky has appeared in eight games and is 3-3-2 with a 3.10 GAA and .895 save percentage. He was in the crease Thursday when he stopped 21 shots in a 5-4 win over the Rangers. He also comes with a track record of postseason success against Edmonton, having beaten the Oilers in the 2024 and 2025 Finals.
Toronto is also making a change on the back end. Dakota Mermis will make his season debut after being recalled from the Toronto Marlies on Friday. The 32-year-old left-shot defenseman helped the Marlies win the Calder Cup last spring and appeared in 11 games for the Leafs in 2025-26, scoring once.
Across 89 career NHL games with five organizations, Mermis has five goals and nine assists. He is expected to line up with Oliver Ekman-Larsson as the Leafs deal with injuries to Chris Tanev, who is out with an upper-body issue, Nick Blankenburg, who is also out with an upper-body issue, and Marshall Rifai, who is sidelined with a lower-body injury.
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Leafs Face A Familiar Trade Dilemma On Defense
The Maple Leafs keep circling the same question on the blue line: whether a trade can shore up a defense that has left plenty of room for debate. One name that fits the conversation is Rasmus Ristolainen, the Philadelphia defenseman whose size and style have long made him a speculative target whenever Toronto starts looking for help on the back end.
Philadelphias angle is part of what makes the idea interesting, because the Flyers appear more open to players who can help them sooner rather than a package built around draft capital. Ristolainen is on injured reserve but is close to returning, and with no trade protection and free agency looming this summer, his situation gives Toronto another familiar deadline-style dilemma to weigh as it looks for defense without paying too steep a price. [Read more 🡒]
Maple Leafs Blue-Line Need Makes One Dream Trade Worth Watching
Torontos blue line remains one of the clearest talking points around the club, and that is what makes the Roman Josi discussion so easy to imagine. If the Maple Leafs are looking for a true difference-maker on defense, the Nashville veteran would sit near the top of the wish list, the kind of player who could reshape the back end and change how the group is built around its top pieces.
The catch is obvious: this kind of move does not exist in a vacuum, and the path to even getting in the conversation would depend on Nashvilles season going off the rails. If the Predators keep sliding and start considering bigger roster changes, Toronto would have to decide how far it is willing to go, with a serious pursuit likely costing a major asset such as Ben Danford or Easton Cowan. For now, it is the sort of trade rumor that says as much about the Leafs need as it does about how rare the solution might be. [Read more 🡒]
Maple Leafs Just Hit A Harsh Reality In Edvinsson Pursuit
The Maple Leafs have spent plenty of time looking for help on the blue line, and Simon Edvinsson has naturally surfaced as the kind of younger, high-upside defender that could fit the bill. Toronto has shown interest in the Detroit Red Wings defenseman, but as things stand, there are no current plans for a trade, according to David Pagnotta on Daily Faceoff Live.
For a team still trying to shore up its defense, that leaves the Leafs back in familiar territory, weighing options without much certainty of a payoff. Any serious pursuit would likely require meaningful young assets and draft capital, which is why the chatter around Edvinsson remains more theoretical than active for now. [Read more 🡒]