Leafs not circumventing the cap with Matt Murray after all; Leafs provide major Murray update

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Mike Armenti
October 9, 2023 (3:00 PM)

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When the Maple Leafs aquired Matt Murray from the Ottawa Senators last summer, the move was met with a ton of criticism, largely due to Murray's persistent health issues over the years. Hindsight is 20/20, but Kyle Dubas should have also had the foresight to see this one coming.

Murray had spent 3 separate stints on the IR/LTIR with the Leafs last season, playing only 26 games, amassing a 14-8-2 record to go along with a .903 SV% and a forgettable 3.01 GAA. So, naturally, when Brad Treliving announced this summer that Murray would be headed for the LTIR again this season, people understood and accepted the legitimacy of his LTIR placement, right? Wrong.

Following Ilya Samsonov's arbitration hearing, which awarded the Russian netminder a $3.55M AAV on a 1-year deal, the Leafs had a 2nd buyout window open up, with many suspecting that Murray would be bought out. Instead, Murray was placed on LTIR and many fans had wondering whether the Leafs were attempting to circumvent the cap. Now, we know that's not the case, as Murray has undergone bilateral hip surgery and is facing a very lengthy recovery period.

"The @MapleLeafs announced today that goaltender Matt Murray underwent successful bilateral hip surgery. He is expected to miss a minimum of 6-8 months." Toronto Maple Leafs PR team

As a result of his surgery, Murray will miss the entirety of the 2023-24 season. If he was healed and could resume skating by the 6 month mark, the playoffs will already be underway, and even if the Leafs went all the way to the Cup Final, that would fall towards the 8 month mark of his recovery timeline. It seems highly unlikely that the Leafs will rush Murray back to play in the Cup Final after missing the entire season if they can avoid it (and if they make it that far).

The more likely outcome here is that Murray will look to get himself back into game shape beginning next summer with the intent of preparing for the 2024-25 season, if he's able to resume his career at all.