With Anthony Stolarz out, Matt Murray will play in an NHL game for the first time since Apr. 2, 2023 The Toronto Maple Leafs have sent Dennis Hildeby to the Toronto Marlies and re-called Matt Murray, the club announced on Thursday. Hildeby is expected to start when the AHL club hosts the Belleville Senators at Scotiabank Arena as part of the Marlies' annual holiday game at the NHL venue. Hildeby last started for the Maple Leafs on Dec. 15, making 24 saves on 27 shots in a 5-3 victory against the Buffalo Sabres. His call-up was necessitated by a knee injury to Anthony Stolarz, who is still weeks away from returning after a procedure to remove a bone fragment. During the recent back-to-back games, the Leafs opted to have Murray make his return to the NHL for the first time since April 2023. He made 24 saves on 27 shots in a 6-3 win against the Sabres on Dec. 20. Sending Hildeby down allows the Leafs to get him much-needed playing time. He has struggled to replicate the strong numbers he had with the Marlies in 2023-24, currently holding a 2-2-2 record with an .897 save percentage in the AHL this season. On days when Murray wasn't expected to play, the Leafs were keen to keep him with the Marlies in order to delay his requirement for waivers. However, NHL rules mandate that teams carry two goaltenders on their active roster at all times. This means Hildeby cannot be assigned to the Marlies without a corresponding move like calling Murray up, even though the Leafs do not play today. After Murray cleared waivers earlier this season, the Leafs can have him up for the total amount of either 10 games or 30 days on the active roster before he needs to go through waivers again. The Leafs are currently in the middle of an NHL-mandated three-day holiday break before visiting the Detroit Red Wings on Friday, followed by a home game against the Washington Capitals on Saturday. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Image [https://thehockeynews.com/.image/c_fit,h_600,w_600/MjExNjM5NDEwNTc4NDM0MDI0/googlenews.svg] Stay updated with the most interesting Maple Leafs stories, analysis, break news and more! Tap the star to add us to your favorites on Google News [https://news.google.com/publications/CAAqBwgKMK-q0gsw7sXpAw/sections/CAQqEAgAKgcICjCvqtILMO7F6QMwytvfCA?ceid=CA:en&oc=3] to never miss a story.
