Shut down after hip surgery in the fall, could Matt Murray play this season with the Toronto Maple Leafs?
Shut down after hip surgery in the fall, could Matt Murray play this season with the Toronto Maple Leafs?
There's rarely a day that has gone by during the Toronto Maple Leafs' 2023-24 season when goaltending hasn't been in the news cycle. But it's rare when Matt Murray's name is brought up.
When speaking about Toronto's goaltending as it begins to prepare for Joseph Woll's imminent return from a high-ankle sprain, Maple Leafs head coach Sheldon Keefe brought up Matt Murray as a veteran influence in goal around the club.
That begged a follow-up question... How is Matt Murray doing?
"He's making good progress," Keefe said following the team's practice on Monday. "He's seeing pucks now, getting his work in. He's been very consistent in here putting his work and they've been really happy with his progress."
Murray was deemed healthy at the end of the 2022-23 season but the club announced just before the club's second buyout deadline in July that they intended to place the goaltender on long-term injured reserve. The goaltender then had bilateral hip surgery before the 2023-24 season began.
The time frame for Murray's recovery was placed at six-to-eight months. The earliest part of that window would see the 29-year-old return just weeks before the end of the regular season.
Over the last few weeks, the Leafs have restored the goaltender's stall in their locker room. He's been seen regularly coming out of team meetings at the club's practice facility before full team practices begin. But other than that he hasn't been spotted in full gear.
While it's unlikely that Murray gets into any game action this season, it isn't impossible. The Leafs have utilized the goaltender's $4.6875 million exception in long-term injured reserve and would need to clear up room to activate him before the regular season, which isn't a scenario worth envisioning. But if the Leafs run into injury issues with other goaltenders (and they have had many this season), then having Murray as the fourth option in goal is preferred rather than a prospect like Dennis Hildeby, who has been called up on several occasions yet never used.
Once the Leafs reach the playoffs, salary cap no longer becomes a factor in roster construction.
"He and Curits (Leafs goaltending coach Curtis Sanford) have begun to connect and build out a plan for him for on the ice."
Murray joined the Maple Leafs in the summer of 2022 when they acquired him from the Ottawa Senators along with draft picks in exchange for future considerations. The Senators retained 25 percent of Murray's $6.25 million salary cap hit in the deal. The goaltender will be an unrestricted free agent at the end of this season.
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