Leafs GM provides shocking update on Matt Murray; is a return with the Leafs on the table?
On October 9th, the Toronto Maple Leafs announced that goaltender Matt Murray would be undergoing bi-lateral hip surgery and would be out for six to eight months. The announcement confirmed what everyone had long speculated in that the Leafs would be using a tandem of Ilya Samsonov and Joseph Woll for the season. That has not exactly worked out as planned given Samsonov's recent waivers placement and Woll's ankle injury, but Martin Jones is doing just fine - for now.
On Tuesday, ahead of the Leafs' first game of their annual California road trip against the LA Kings, GM Brad Treliving spoke to reporters and was asked all sorts of questions. In answering questions, he also provided a very positive update on Murray and how his recovery from surgery has been going.
"He's doing well. It's a significant rehab but there's been no setbacks. He's attacked it full steam," said Treliving.
Treliving continued by making a very bold statement about Murray getting back on the ice sooner than later as well, which is quite surprising given how long it took Patrick Kane to return to the ice following his hip surgery.
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"He's up to the stage where I think actually — I shouldn't say this because I probably might be wrong — he did a public skate where he throws a sweatsuit on and kind of wanders around the ice a little bit. So that's good progression. He's got a ways to go but everything's been really really positive in terms of no setbacks. He's been on track and things are going well."
Leaf fans should not get overly excited, as Treliving made it very clear that the Leafs are taking a cautious approach to his recovery.
"We want to be careful with it. There's no pressure to get him going. We just want to make sure he goes about it and when he's ready, he's ready. That's off in the horizon."
What does this mean for Matt Murray's future in Toronto?
As mentioned, the minimum recovery time for Murray is six months, which would take us to April. The Leafs likely wouldn't have the cap space to activate him until the playoffs, but having Murray available in case they need a fourth goalie is a possibility, albeit a very, very, highly unlikely one.
Murray is in the final year of a four-year, $25 million deal he signed with the Ottawa Senators in 2020, but the Leafs are only on the hook for a $4.6875M cap hit as the Sens retained 25 percent in the trade.
In 26 games with the Maple Leafs last season, Murray had a 14-8-2 record, a 3.01 goals-against average, and .903 save percentage. The two-time Stanley Cup Champion will be looking to revive his career next season and depending what the Leafs decide to do with Samsonov, Murray may even find himself as a backup to Joseph Woll if the two sides opt to continue their partnership past this season and can strike a deal this summer.
Will the Leafs and Murray agree to a short-term, low money "show me" deal this summer? Let us know in the poll below!
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| POLL |
4 JANVIER | 957 ANSWERS Leafs GM provides shocking update on Matt Murray; is a return with the Leafs on the table? Do you think Murray will remain a Leaf beyond this season? |
| Yes | 151 | 15.8 % |
| No | 806 | 84.2 % |
| LIST OF POLLS |
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