NHL Mock Trade: Biz floats blockbuster move sending $64.4M Senators star to Maple Leafs for Hildeby

The Toronto Maple Leafs put seven goals past the Ottawa Senators' goaltending duo of Leevi Merilainen and Linus Ullmark in a 7-5 win on Saturday, exposing their issues in goal. To solve these problems, NHL analyst Paul Bissonnette proposed a mock trade between the two Ontario rivals.

The lifelong Leafs support took to his X account, during the game, to declare his proposition, which involved Senators defenseman Jake Sanderson, signed to an eight-year, $64.4 million contract, and Maple Leafs goaltender Dennis Hildeby.

"Trade proposal Senators fans. Dennis Hildeby for Jake Sanderson. 1 for 1," he wrote. "Your goaltending issues are solved. Think about it. Maybe we’ll throw in a late rounder. I’ll consider it."

Trading a top-line defenseman for a virtually backup goalie in Hildeby and a late round Draft pick isn't something that the Senators would like to consider. Sanderson has 153 points in 273 games so far in his career for Ottawa, with 26 of them coming in this season.

Dennis Hildeby has been thrust into more responsibility for the Leafs in the crease due to a mysterious injury to Anthony Stolarz. His workload has been divided with Joseph Woll as the goalie tandem. Hildeby has a 2.96 Goals Against Average (GAA) and a .911 save percentage (SV%) with a 9-2-5 record in 13 games played.

Meanwhile, both Senators' goalies combined are dead last in save percentage (.893) in the league. Ullmark is 14-8-5 with .881 SV% and 2.95 GAA, while Merilainen has struggled, holding a 4-6-0 record with .874 SV% and 3.43 GAA.

Head coach Travis Green explains decision of pulling Linus Ullmark in game vs. Leafs

After giving up four goals in 14 shots, Linus Ullmark was pulled from the game by Senators head coach, Travis Green. Two goals in the second period, within 4:00 of each other from Bobby McMann and Auston Mathews, prompted Green to make the change.

“I didn’t like the two goals,” Green said postgame. “And (then I) put Leevi Meriläinen in.”

Ullmark actually had a strong 3-0-0 record in the previous week with a .928 save percentage. But an overtime loss to Sabres and Saturday's loss to the Leafs has dropped his goals saved above expected rate to minus-11.5, the worst in the league.

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Edited by R. Nikhil Parshy