During the offseason, Toronto Maple Leafs General Manager Kyle Dubas decided to turn to an old friend for his goaltending situation. After losing Jack Campbell in free agency and trading goaltender Petr Mrazek to the Chicago Blackhawks, Kyle decided to gamble on acquiring former Senators goaltender Matt Murray. The 28-year-old two-time Stanley Cup winner was also the former goaltender for Kyle Dubas in the OHL for the Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds. A past relationship with Kyle made him comfortable taking the risk despite his inconsistent play with Ottawa. Injuries were a factor, but this is still the same Matt Murray, who won two Stanley Cups technically as a “rookie” when it’s all said and done.
With all the bad luck the Maple Leafs have battled against early on, newly acquired Matt Murray was injured early. Days after playing in the season opener against the Montreal Canadiens, Murray allowed four goals on 23 shots in a 4-3 loss. Matt was injured and left practice gingerly after feeling some discomfort in his lower body. Once the news was out that the Maple Leafs goaltender left practice and was undergoing tests, panic in Toronto started to settle in. Most fans angry with Dubas’s acquisition already before the season were even more upset now. Once the tests confirmed that Matt Murray had suffered an abductor injury, it was quite obvious he was going to miss some time.
After Murray’s injury, a lot of pressure was placed on new Leafs goaltender Ilya Samsonov. Samsonov held the fort well while Murray was recovering from his injury but was then also injured himself. In a game against the Boston Bruins, where Brad Marchand’s penalty shot injured Samsonov after Ilya’s awkward motion, it was announced he was also going to miss the next week or so. Stepping in for Ilya Samsonov and Matt Murray was third-string goaltender Erik Kallgren, who Leafs fans are very familiar with. Kallgren had his ups and downs, a goaltender that likely isn’t an NHL starter but can spot start when needed. The 26-year-old goaltender had a good performance against the Carolina Hurricanes in a 3-1 win but faltered late in a 4-2 loss to the Pittsburgh Penguins. Keith Petruzzelli, the Toronto Maple Leafs fifth-string goaltender, was also signed to an NHL contract amid all this craziness to back up Kallgren. Petruzzelli was 6-0-0 with the Marlies and carried a .921sv% before being signed.
Lost in all of the goaltending injuries, and Samsonov’s strong start was Matt Murray. A large part of the media and fans hardly spoke about the 28-year-old goaltender who was just acquired by General Manager Kyle Dubas. Rightly so, Samsonov deserved all the credit, but the return of Murray could be bigger than most realize. Despite the obvious reasons, like getting your starting goaltender back, Matt Murray’s contract makes for an intriguing watch down the road here. Samsonov decided to bet on himself by taking a 1-year prove-it deal with the blue and white and will most certainly look to cash in if he keeps this play up. The clear cap crisis the Maple Leafs usually have to battle with every offseason will surely be the same this summer. What makes this interesting is that Matt Murray had very little to no trade value this summer when Dubas acquired him. The Maple Leafs got his contract reduced a bit and got some draft capital as well, but Murray isn’t on a 1-year deal. He’s going to be around next season as well.
This is interesting because Matt Murray has now been cleared, according to Sheldon Keefe. Murray is targeting a Tuesday return against his former team, the Pittsburgh Penguins. Murray’s return could see him getting a massive opportunity with Samsonov out as he looks to take back the net. This was projected to be a split between both goaltenders, but as mentioned prior, Matt Murray has term, whereas Samsonov does not. Matt’s also taking up a pretty good piece of the cap, so it would be in the Maple Leafs best interest to get him locked in as soon as possible. Murray is a goaltender that should fit this team well. Despite my criticism of his glove hand being a weakness, he’s still got the style this Leafs team needs. Murray is good on the rush and keeping the game very low-event, which is exactly what this team needs. He’s not a goaltender who will make those athletic saves like Jack Campbell used to, but he’ll be in the right position when it matters most. That’s what is so intriguing about Murray. When the games get tough, he always finds a way to step up.
The opportunity here for Matt Murray to get in consecutive games before Samsonov’s return could be significant. If Samsonov returned, it would be difficult to sit the 25-year-old after his start. When Murray went down, he gave everything he could to this Maple Leafs team, but now it’s time for them to switch roles. Given Murray’s term, I’d expect him to get all the opportunities in the world to have a successful season. However, if Samsonov continues outplaying Matt Murray, it could be tough when it’s all said and done. Murray now has a shot to go on a bit of a run before Samsonov gets back in action, and it could dictate a lot for this tandem long-term.
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