The Toronto Maple Leafs positioned goaltender Matt Murray on long-term injured reserve Saturday with an adductor harm. He’s anticipated to omit at least 4 weeks.
Murray left the workforce’s morning skate previous within the day with what trainer Sheldon Keefe later known as “groin discomfort.” Toronto is internet hosting Ottawa — Murray’s former workforce — on Saturday and Murray was once anticipated to begin.
Ilya Samsonov gets the decision now, with rookie Erik Kallgren recalled from the American Hockey League’s Toronto Marlies on an emergency foundation to again up.
The Leafs achieve just below $4 million in cap area to recall avid gamers now that Murray is on LTIR. However, Toronto may be at the 50-contract prohibit, so bringing on every other goaltender will require creating a corresponding transfer to open up that spot.
Toronto traded for Murray from the Senators in July, taking at the ultimate two seasons of Murray’s four-year, $25 million contract (Ottawa retained 25% of his wage within the change).
Toronto opted so as to add Murray as a substitute of re-signing incumbent starter Jack Campbell, an unrestricted loose agent who went directly to ink a five-year, $25 million contract with Edmonton. The Leafs additionally traded Campbell’s former backup Petr Mrazek to Chicago in July, opening the door for a completely new goalie tandem to take over.
Murray’s tenure with the Leafs so far has been just about a worst-case state of affairs. The veteran has began just one sport, a 4-3 season-opening defeat to Montreal that ended with Murray permitting the game-winning objective by way of Josh Anderson with 19 seconds left in legislation.
Now that Murray’s unavailable, Samsonov might be Toronto’s go-to in web. The 25-year-old signed with the Leafs as a loose agent final summer time after now not receiving a qualifying be offering from Washington. Samsonov were with the Capitals his complete NHL profession, sharing the web final season with (*4*)Vitek Vanecek and posting a 23-12-5 file with .896 SV%.
Murray, 28, has a Stanley Cup successful pedigree from his previous with the Pittsburgh Penguins, successful back-to-back championships with the membership in 2016 and 2017. When Murray was once a pending limited loose agent in October 2020, Pittsburgh traded him to Ottawa, the place Murray was once instantly prolonged to his present four-year deal.
The marriage between Murray and the Senators was once soured by way of Murray’s consistent harm problems. During his 2d season in Ottawa, Murray was once sidelined by way of a concussion, higher and decrease frame illnesses, and different undisclosed issues.
That historical past put Toronto’s determination to business for Murray below the microscope. Murray can nonetheless be efficient when wholesome, posting .906 SV% for Ottawa final season in restricted motion. And he has a historical past with Keefe and Leafs’ normal supervisor Kyle Dubas — he performed for the Ontario Hockey League’s Sault Ste Marie Greyhounds from 2010-14, when Keefe and Dubas had been trainer and GM respectively of that workforce.
But Murray’s injury-plagued previous made going all-in with the netminder extra of a chance, one thing even Ottawa’s trainer DJ Smith stated on Friday.
“Matt, unfortunately here, was just injured all the time,” Smith instructed journalists. “Take nothing away from him. He was just hurt all the time. He had a lot of bad luck.”