The Maple Leafs will be without their Murray for a little while longer as the goaltender recovers from an ankle injury.
If nobody told you Matt Murray was injured and you saw him working with Toronto Maple Leafs goaltending coach Curtis Sandford, you would have thought that the two-time Stanley Cup-winning goaltender was on the mend.
But the goaltender was placed on injured reserve on Thursday. A move that is mostly designed to open up an additional roster spot, some clarity on Murray’s timeline came at the very end of Leafs GM Kyle Dubas' media availability with reporters on Thursday.
"I think it'll be a couple of weeks from now but I haven't checked with them (medical staff) after his skate," Dubas said. "So I don't know definitively."
Murray injured his ankle sometime late last month and it flared up on him during the warmup of his scheduled start against the Ottawa Senators on Jan. 27. The late change in goal forced Ilya Samsonov back into the goal after what was a scheduled day off for the goaltender, who had just completed a season-high fifth-straight start.
"We'll give Murray his time to get back up to being healthy," Maple Leafs head coach Sheldon Keefe said. "In the meantime, with Samsonov and (Joseph (Woll), it's a good chance for those guys to get some time."
Murray missed nearly a month earlier this season when he injured his adductor during the morning skate ahead of his scheduled start against the Senators on Oct. 15. The oft-injured goaltender came with this reputation when the Leafs acquired him from the Senators in July to help fill their net.
In the meantime, Samsonov began outplaying Murray before the ankle setback. The Russian goaltender came on in relief of Murray after the goaltender allowed four goals on eight shots against the Florida Panthers on Jan. 17. The Leafs came back to win the game 5-4 and Samsonov has taken the reins of the No. 1 goaltending position since.
Murray has one more year remaining on his original four-year, $25 million contract. Ottawa retained 25 percent of Murray's $6.25 million annual salary cap hit, as part of the terms of the trade.
While Murray looked healthy on the ice, the Leafs are right to take a very cautious approach. Brought in to bring some championship experience in goal, Toronto wants to ensure the goalie is a healthy option, if needed, for their playoff push.
The 28-year-old Murray is 11-5-2 this season with a .911 save percentage.