Report: Maple Leafs Goaltender Matt Murray Could Be Cleared to Play in Early April, Likely with Marlies on Conditioning Stint
Matt Murray might get into a game before the regular season ends.
The 29-year-old was seen taking shots ahead of Maple Leafs practice on Friday, a step in the right direction following bilateral hip surgery in the summer. Maple Leafs head coach Sheldon Keefe said the netminder is "a long ways away" from a return, but Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman reports that Murray could be cleared to play in the next few weeks.
"I think he could get cleared to play sometime in early April. I should say cleared some time in early April," Friedman said on the broadcast ahead of Toronto's game against the Carolina Hurricanes on Sunday.
"And then I would assume he's going to end up on a conditioning stint because they're not going to throw him right into the NHL right away. But I don't think it's out of the realm of possibility that we could see him in the AHL at some point."
Friedman credits Nick Kypreos, who reported in the Toronto Star, that Murray is hopeful he can get cleared medically in early April.
The Maple Leafs announced on July 26 that Murray would be out indefinitely and that his $4.6875 million cap hit would be placed on long-term injured reserve at the beginning of this season.
Murray is in the final year of a four-year, $25 million deal he signed with the Ottawa Senators on Oct. 9, 2020. After struggling with injuries in Ottawa, the Senators traded him and a seventh-round pick in 2024 to Toronto while retaining 25% ($1.5625 million) of his salary in exchange for future considerations.
He appeared in 26 games for the Maple Leafs and finished the 2022-23 season with 14 wins and a .903 save percentage.
"He has been out there a little bit with guys here and there. But today was probably the biggest step he's taken in terms of our guys being out there and taking part in some of our skill drills," Keefe said on Friday.
"So yeah, a great sign he's moving well. He's a long ways away from being an option for games or anything like that. But it seems like the work that he's put in and the recovery that he's had has served him well."
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