The Toronto Maple Leafs are firmly in control of their Round 1 Stanley Cup Playoffs series against the Tampa Bay Lightning, having shocked them in both Games 3 and 4 at Amalie Arena with comeback overtime victories; the latter of which featured a three-goal comeback in the third period.
Goaltender Ilya Samsonov has rebounded from a poor Game 1 outing, racking up three straight victories and outplaying former Conn Smythe Trophy winner Andrei Vasilevskiy. And while Joseph Woll has been serving as the backup for far in the postseason, the Leafs are working on getting veteran Matt Murray back into playing shape.
Murray, who hasn’t played since suffering a concussion earlier this month after being accidentally taken down by Red Wings forward Lucas Raymond in a late regular season game, was on the ice at Toronto’s training facility working with the development staff:
“He is making progress to the point where he is on the ice,” explained head coach Sheldon Keefe. “He has been working mostly in recovery mode on his own. Now, he is starting to take shots from players in more game-like situations. It is steady progress there.”
During the regular season, Murray posted a record of 14-8-2 record with a 3.01 goals against average and .903 save percentage.
Earlier today the Toronto Maple Leafs announced that they have officially recalled goaltender Joseph Woll from the AHL’s Toronto Marlies. Woll will get the start tonight against the Tampa Bay Lightning, with amateur Matt Onuska backing him up.
Regular back up Ilya Samsonov is reportedly working through a minor injury and starter Matt Murray… well.. he’s seemingly ALWAYS out of the lineup.
GM Kyle Dubas also confirmed today that Murray has a concussion and that there is no timeline for his return.
Yeah… progressing toward Robidas Island and the end of his NHL career…
Actually, I shouldn’t be so glib when talking about a guy’s brain health, but the fact of the matter is that this is pretty routine for Murray now. The guy can NEVER stay healthy and outside of two remarkable short runs with the Pittsburgh Penguins he’s been the most inconsistent goaltender in the entire NHL.
Again, I know there’s not much he can do to protect himself from a freak injury like the one he suffered earlier this month but the fact of the matter is that Murray consistently lets himself and his teammates down due to injury. I have NO CLUE why Dubas thought he was getting anything other than an inconsistent, injured goaltender when he acquired Murray from the Ottawa Senators.
I get that Dubas has created a tough situation for himself given his team’s cap restraints, but Murray’s injury history has really forced this team to make some out of the box decisions.
Earlier this week the Toronto Maple Leafs signed top prospect Matthew Knies from the NCAA’s Minnesota Golden Gophers. It’s a big signing for a big name prospect and it deserves recognition, but the team arguably made a much more impactful signing yesterday that isn’t receiving near the attention.
Because the Leafs have signed Knies and have inserted him into their roster, they no longer have the cap space to call up goaltender Joseph Woll from the AHL. This meant that last night Ilya Samsonov was backed up this evening by a beer leaguer on an amateur tryout.
To be fair to Nick Chenard, he’s much better than your typical beer league goalie, but he’s still nowhere near NHL level… or even AHL level. The 21 year old is a former OHL netminder who aged out of the league following this past season. Again, nothing against him and I honestly hope he gets to live out his NHL dreams… but this entire scenario seems like a bit of a farce to me.
I mean… the NHL will prop up a franchise the the Arizona Coyotes, a franchise who is doing everything they possible can to get under the NHL’s salary floor. There’s no punishment for the Coyotes… but the Leafs, a team who is consistently at the top of NHL’s highest salaried teams, has to dress a minor leaguer for cap reasons.
Call me crazy, but I think there’s got to be a better way for the NHL to go about things. Personally, I think every team should be required to carry three goaltenders at all times. I love a good David Ayres or Scott Foster story as much as the next guy, but it’s pretty ‘bush league’ that things have to come to this. I mean, could you ever see the NFL, NBA or MLB allowing a team to sign a beer league accountant or a Zamboni driver take to the playing surface? Not a chance…
But in Gary Bettman’s NHL we get weird, random little things like this that pop up all the time to remind us just how much the NHL actually cares about the sport that it pretends to champion.
There was unfortunate news on Tuesday that Toronto Maple Leafs goalie Matt Murray was suffering from a concussion and that no timeline was given for his return. Despite the bad news on his health, and potentially his future in the NHL, it hasn’t stopped chatter from emerging, stating that the Maple Leafs could try to trade him or buy him out this summer due to his frequent absences from the lineup.
When Murray was brought in from the Ottawa Senators last summer, Toronto thought it had fixed their issues in between the pipes. But they kept coming back as Murray kept missing action, sparking speculation that he could be changing teams again this offseason, according to Sportsnet’s Luxe Fox.
When Fox was asked if the Maple Leafs could move on to a Ilya Samsonov-Joseph Woll tandem for 2023-24, the reporter explained that they could, but it would all depend on how both goalies do for the last stretch and during the playoffs. Fox suggested the Leafs could trade Murray to a team looking to reach next season’s cap floor as the veteran netminder’s full annual average value is $6.25 million through 2023-24. However, Toronto only carried $4.687 million, with the Senators retaining the rest.
However, I feel like a contract buyout might be the easiest route. The Maple Leafs could also buy him out before the two-week buyout window opens in mid-June, at a reasonable cap hit. It would come at $687,500 for 2023-24 and $2 million in 2024-25, when the salary cap is projected to spike.
It sounds like a move could come for Murray, but which one?
The Toronto Maple Leafs have been forced to sign a new goalie due to salary cap constraints.
Earlier today we detailed how the Maple Leafs may have backed themselves into something of a goaltending crisis of their own making, and it seems that what once was only a possibility has now become a reality.
According to the latest from Maple Leafs beat reporter Lance Hornby, the Maple Leafs have now signed goaltender Jett Alexander for the purpose of having him play backup to Maple Leafs goaltender Ilya Samsonov tonight. This means that, despite what the Leafs were hoping for, veteran goaltender Matt Murray is still not healthy enough to play since suffering his latest in a long series of injuries this season.
23 year old Alexander most recently played for the University of Toronto where he had a 2.21 goals against average and a .927 save percentage over 22 games this season, but of course the NHL would be a major leap up in competition. In all likelihood we won’t see Alexander hit the ice tonight barring any major catastrophes for the Leafs, but it will no doubt make for a great experience and a nice payday for the young man.
The Leafs likely would have prefered to use Joseph Woll in this scenario, but they have called up Wayne Simmonds for what is believed to be his final home game in a Maple Leafs uniform, and they would be unable to fit Woll under the salary cap given the addition of Simmonds’ cap hit.
The Toronto Maple Leafs have a potential goaltending crisis on their hands, one that appears to be of their own making.
On Friday, the Maple Leafs announced that they would be sending goaltender Joseph Woll back down to the American Hockey League and the Toronto Marlies, a move that was announced in conjunction with the callup of veteran forward Wayne Simmonds.
There is a belief that the move was made out of a desire to give the aging veteran in Simmonds one final game in front of the hometown Toronto crowd, a feel good idea to be sure. Unfortunately it may be one that has left the Leafs in somewhat of a pickle on Saturday.
Maple Leafs head coach Sheldon Keefe has now confirmed that the plan was originally to have Matt Murray serve as backup for goaltender Ilya Samsonov tonight, a plan that may be in jeopardy due to Murray’s injury status. Not only did Keefe confirm that Murray’s status for tonight was now a question mark, but he also added that he was unsure of what the Leafs would do in the event of Murray being unable to play.
This is certainly a less than ideal situation for the Maple Leafs, and we will have to wait and see how it all plays out as the day wears on.
The Toronto Maple Leafs and general manager Kyle Dubas in particular took a tremendous risk by overhauling their goaltending this past summer, electing to part ways with Jack Campbell and Petr Mrazek while bringing aboard Matt Murray and Ilya Samsonov.
The good news for the Leafs and their fans right now is that for the most part, the move has worked at least in terms of his win-loss record of 14-8-2. His goals against, just slightly above 3.00, leaves a bit to be desired. But of course, the main knock on Murray is his ability to stay healthy. And right now, he’s currently on the shelf after being injured through no fault of his own.
Could Dubas be thinking of pulling the plug on Murray after just one season in Toronto? According to Luke Fox in his latest Maple Leafs Mailbag for Sportsnet, it’s a possibility.
Take a look what what he had to say when a fan asked him if he envisioned the Leafs dumping Murray this summer:
“Yes. If the Petr Mrazek era taught us anything, it’s that the Maple Leafs will pay to correct a mistake — and that injury-prone goaltenders may, indeed, be prone to injury.
Let’s see how the goalies perform in the spring first, but there will be options.
Murray could be traded to a team trying to reach the cap floor, or even bought out at a not-awful price. Because the Ottawa Senators are paying freight too, a Murray buyout would cost the Leafs $687,500 against their cap in 2023-24 and $2 million in 2024-25, when the ceiling should spike. Samsonov is a restricted free agent. No doubt, his performance in the first round against Tampa will factor into his next raise, whether that’s with the Leafs or someone else.”
We’ll certainly be watching with great interest not only to see what the Maple Leafs acre able to accomplish in the postseason, but what they decide to do in terms of player personnel.
This just in, the Toronto Maple Leafs have recalled goaltender Jospeh Woll on an emergency basis.
This means, more than likely, that starting goaltender Matt Murray is likely to be placed on long-term injury reserve (IR) sometime in the coming days. Murray, of course, suffered yet another freak injury this past weekend in a game against the Detroit Red Wings.
Leafs head coach Sheldon Keefe commented on Murray’s status moving forward saying that it’s “difficult” to pin down a timeline for his return and that the team is taking it day by day.
It looks like the Leafs will be relying mostly on Ilya Samsonov down the stretch and into the playoffs, with Erik Kallgren and Woll backing him up. Samsonov, to his credit, has been solid for the Leafs during stretches this season. He has 25 wins in 39 starts and sports a 2.41 goals against average and a .915 save percentage. To be frank, he’s been a much more consistent goaltender for the Leafs than Murray, but that’s not saying a lot. Murray has been plagued by injury and inconsistency for years now and has never been able to recreate the success he had early on in his career with the Pittsburgh Penguins.
As for Woll, he’s stellar. The 24 year old former 3rd round pick (62nd overall in 2016) has been tremendous at both the NHL and the AHL level this season. With the Leafs he has three wins in four starts with a 2.03 goals against average and a scorching .934 save percentage. With the AHL’s Marlies he has 16 wins in 21 starts and a 2.37 goals against average and a .927 save percentage. Rock solid. Here’s hoping the kid gets a shot on the big stage once and for all.
The big problem with the Leafs in goal, and stop me if you’ve heard this one before, is with their contracts. Samsonov has earned a contract extension, but he’s slated to become an restricted free agent this upcoming offseason. While the Leafs have control over his rights, it’s unclear what the path forward is for him in Toronto. Murray though is signed for next season at over $4.6 million. Woll is signed for two more seasons, but is effectively blocked by Murray and Samsonov. It’s clear to me that Murray’s got to go… but at what cost?
The Toronto Maple Leafs not only lost what would have been an extremely valuable two points in their quest for home ice in the upcoming Stanley Cup Playoffs during last night’s game against the Original 6 rival Detroit Red Wings, but also lost goaltender Matt Murray to yet another injury.
The latest setback for Murray was a freak accident that took place during the 1st period, as Red Wings forward Lucas Raymond blew a tire and slid accidentally into Murray, flipping him onto his back and also hitting his head on the ice. Murray left the game and was replaced by Ilya Samsonov.
As far as an update on Murray’s current status, head coach Sheldon Keefe said that fans can expect one as soon as tomorrow.
“I have no update,” he said talking about this morning. “We will get you for you probably on Tuesday.”
Murray struck the back of his head on the ice; was he removed from the game by a concussion spotter?
“I am not exactly sure, “Keefe answered. “I was told it was mandatory that he had to come off of the ice.”
In the meantime, the Leafs are dealing with the harsh reality of the fact that Murray is simply an injury prone player at this point in his career, even thought this latest incident was out of his hands.
“I don’t know,” Keefe said when asked what was going through his mind. “It was in the hands of the trainers. They’ll deal with it. He’ll bounce back, and Sammy will go.”
The Leafs are back in action tomorrow night in what will be an extremely winnable game against the hapless Columbus Blue Jackets at Scotiabank Arena in downtown Toronto. Game time is set for 7:00 PM EST.
The Toronto Maple Leafs and goaltender Matt Murray just can’t seem to catch a break.
The Maple Leafs were the victims of a very unfortunate incident on Sunday night during the first period of their game against the Detroit Red Wings. Red Wings forward Lucas Raymond appeared to accidently trip/slew-foot the aforementioned Matt Murray when he lost his footing and crashed in Murray’s crease.
Unfortunately for Murray, he never saw the Red Wings forward coming and as a result he would crash to the ice, slamming the back of his head in the process. Murray’s head bounced off the ice and he appeared to be feeling the ill effects of that blow to the head almost immediately.
That forced Murray off the ice and subsequently that forced goaltender Ilya Samsonov back into action after he played against the Ottawa Senators just 24 hours ago.
Update: No surprise here but Murray will not return to tonight’s game.
On Sunday night, the Maple Leafs suffered a meaningless loss to the Detroit Red Wings given the fact that they are already locked into a first round Stanley Cup playoff matchup with the Tampa Bay Lightning. In spite of that, the Maple Leafs would walk away from the loss feeling dejected for a variety of reasons with the injury to veteran goaltender Matt Murray being the most notable one.
Murray was injured by what appears to have been a freak accident when Red Wings forward Lucas Raymond lost his footing and slid into the back of Murray’s legs. Raymond’s forward momentum was enough to sweep Murray’s legs out from under him, sending the Leafs netminder soaring through the air before landing hard on the ice. The worst part though would be Murray, who has had concussion issues throughout his career, smacking the back of his head on the ice in sickening fashion as a result of the fall.
We would learn later during the game that Murray would not return, and although there has been no update on his status it sounds like there is genuine concern among his teammates. Fellow goalrender Ilya Samsonov, who doesn’t have a flawless grasp of English, offered up some truly heartfelt comments about his injured teammate following the game.
“I’m sad,” admitted the Russian goaltender. “This is hard. Hard for him. Hard for [his] family, yeah, first one, & hard for team. It’s hard for us. It’s third one. We don’t know long-term or whatever. Third injury is really hard and I’m so sad about it.”
There has as of yet been no official update on Murray, but as always I hope he will make a full and speedy recovery.
