Matt Murray is in the final year of his contract with the Maple Leafs while Ilya Samsonov is looking for a new deal with the club.

It seems as though we've gotten a little more clarity on the Maple Leafs' goalie situation ahead of next season.

Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman joined NHL Network on Tuesday and discussed a number of topics, including updates on Matt Murray's future and the Ilya Samsonov contract negotiations.

"Well I think the Maple Leafs had made it clear they did not want to go long-term with him (Samsonov)," Friedman said. "They were looking towards a shorter-term deal. Just maybe three years max, that kind of thing."

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Samsonov's salary arbitration hearing is set for July 21st with Friedman saying the "salary exchange, if they don't come to a settlement before that," will be made on Wednesday morning.

Once the 26-year-old and Toronto settle on a contract, a second buyout window will open for the Maple Leafs. That could be where the team buys out Matt Murray. 

Friedman believes the netminder gets placed on long-term injured reserve or traded if they cannot buy him out during the second window.

"Now, there is some questions about Murray's health. He's had some concussion history unfortunately, he's had an ankle injury too," Friedman said on Tuesday. "I think the biggest question was going to be, if the Maple Leafs were going to be able to buy him out, if they wanted to. 

"So, if the answer is no, they can't do that because of health, I think that's uncertain as we look at this right now, I think he's either not going to play and they're going to be able to use his long-term injury or they might have to trade him somewhere with a sweetener. But I do think this one's going to get sorted out. 

"The Maple Leafs don't seem overly concerned about their cap situation. I think they're going to work out some kind of solution with Murray, whether it's long-term injury or something else that's going to give them room to do something."

Murray is entering the final year of the contract he signed with the Ottawa Senators back in 2020. Ottawa retained some of his salary when they traded him to the Maple Leafs last summer, giving him a $4,687,500 cap hit with Toronto.

The 29-year-old played 26 games for the Maple Leafs last season, sporting a 14-8-2 record and a .903 save percentage in that span.

Toronto also has netminder Joseph Woll waiting in the wings and the expectation is he'll be a backup goaltender for the Maple Leafs next season. The 25-year-old will not be waiver-exempt come October, meaning he'll likely be in the NHL for the entire year.

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