NHL Rumours: Maple Leafs Goalie Decision, Hagens Out & Brady Tkachuk Leaving?

In today’s NHL rumour rundown, we start off with the Toronto Maple Leafs, who will have a big decision to make regarding their goaltending this offseason. Next, after being eliminated from the playoffs, Ottawa Senators captain Brady Tkachuk has re-entered the trade rumour mill after a lackluster four-game performance.

Finally, we look at the Boston Bruins and their lineup decisions, which could see James Hagens coming out of the lineup.

Maple Leafs Have Tough Decision to Make in Crease

About a year ago, the Maple Leafs were looking at their goaltending tandem of Anthony Stolarz and Joseph Woll, and were rightfully feeling pretty good about it. The two goalies combined for some of the best goaltending in the league.

In 2025-26, through injuries, poor play, and the emergence of Dennis Hildeby as a legitimate NHL option, it is forcing the club to make a move.

Looking at Woll, he is a home-grown talent who is finally breaking into the scene, showing he can be a great goalie, but after missing the first 18 games of the season for personal reasons, and more time with injury during the season, the question of availability has to be had.

He is signed to a friendly $3.87 million cap hit for two more seasons, and the Maple Leafs probably wouldn’t mind hanging on to him.

With Stolarz, he signed a four-year extension at the start of the season, again, at an affordable $3.75 million.

He missed 33 games in the middle of the season due to what he described as nerve issues. Availability for him is another question.

The absence of both goalies through parts of the season gave quite a few others a chance, but it was Hildeby who ran with it.

The 24-year-old former fourth-round pick suited up for 20 games for the Maple Leafs, and had a very impressive .914 save percentage.

The issue with all of this is, Hildeby needs waivers. The Maple Leafs could run with three goalies on the roster, but considering how this season ended, if they can get good value for Stolarz or Woll while retaining one of them with Hildeby, they could be in better shape than before with more draft capital or other assets.

Tkachuk a No-Show in Playoffs, Trade Rumours Pick Up Again

Is it because his brother Matthew Tkachuk worked his way out of a Canadian market? Is it because he is an American player captaining the Senators? Or is it just because it gets a reaction from the team?

There are plenty of reasons why Tkachuk has shown up in trade rumours so many times, though they may not all be very valid.

After a disappointing four-game showing in the 2026 playoffs, some are questioning whether or not the Senators should continue on with Tkachuk.

One thing is for certain – if the Senators do move Tkachuk, the return would be very big, and it would to be an American team.

Tkachuk took unnecessary penalties, wasn’t producing, and didn’t seem to have the energy he is known for in the first-round matchup against the Carolina Hurricanes. Truthfully, he didn’t seem himself for most of the season.

Every note on the subject from both the player and team have been that everyone is happy with each other, but that can change quickly.

If Tkachuk was to get moved, a big market like the New York Rangers would make sense, though their current roster may not be close enough for contention. The two other obvious destinations would be his hometown St. Louis Blues, or with his brother on the Florida Panthers.

This isn’t to say that a move is certain, or even that it will be a thought from the Senators or Tkachuk, but the question has to be had about how he can get back to prime Tkachuk hockey and help the Senators improve.

Hagens Out of Game 4 Lineup for Bruins

For the Bruins’ Game 4 matchup against the Buffalo Sabres, head coach Marco Sturm is going to bring in Lukas Reichel to fill on the third line, giving Hagens the night off.

Sturm told reporters he wants more “high-end speed and skill” in the lineup, which some Bruins fans are puzzled by.

Sturm added, “James didn’t do anything wrong. Nothing. This kid is 19 years old…it’s a tough league…we will take a breather and I’m gonna use him again in the future.”.

Hagens came from the NCAA and had a stint in the American Hockey League, two games in the NHL, and now has three postseason games under his belt.

For young players, coming in and competing right away isn’t easy. Playing for the Bruins isn’t easy. There is lots of pressure on those players to play a certain way, and Sturm likes what he sees with Hagens, but wants to change things up on the third line.