On today’s episode of "Daily Faceoff Live," Frank Seravalli wondered whether the Toronto Maple Leafs could create some salary cap flexibility for themselves ahead of the NHL trade deadline by keeping Matt Murray on the LTIR until the playoffs. Could this be a lane for the Leafs to make more moves than expected?
With David Alter as the guest on the Monday episode of "Daily Faceoff Live," Frank wondered about the Maple Leafs’ goaltending situation, and specifically whether Matt Murray’s return could be delayed in order to create some cap flexibility. Murray has been on the LTIR since Feb. 9 after suffering an ankle injury prior to the all-star break but can make his return on Feb. 28 provided that he is deemed ready to play.
When asked about whether the Leafs may consider keeping Murray on the LTIR, Alter advised that it could be a possibility, though, the 28-year-old goaltender does appear close based on the way he’s practicing:
“Technically, he looks fine, but I know they’re trying to rebuild him. I watch the goaltending coach and Murray’s dialog which happens a lot before practice. You see everything from how to hold the stick, how to move from post to post, and a lot of different things that look like they’re rebuilding him again. It’s interesting but also makes for the justification that he’s not ready in case they make that decision.”
If Murray’s ankle keeps him out of the lineup longer than initially expected, the Leafs have some options regarding how they may approach this final portion of the season.
“I think ideally, based on what the Leafs do and what’s on the table, they absolutely do not have to make any sort of move (just yet). It’s eerily similar to 2021 when Frederic Andersen was hurt — they didn’t have to do anything with his cap hit — and with 11 or 12 games to go, they had Zach Hyman and Bogosian get hurt, and they were able to move the LTI money around to allow Andersen one last regular season game before the playoffs began. Certainly, that’s not unprecedented.”
When Murray will be available to return remains to be seen, but the Leafs certainly will not be rushing him back until he is absolutely ready to go.
“There’s no timeline on Murray’s return. Every time we’ve asked, they’ve just not put a timeline on it. All they’ve said is that February 28th is the earliest he can be activated, if they choose to do that and if he’s ready. There are a lot of different permutations that could happen with that cap money, and it wouldn’t surprise me if this helps them build out their roster.”
Murray previously missed some time with an injury before what would have been his first start against the Ottawa Senators earlier this year with an abductor injury.
The 28-year-old goaltender has an 11-5-2 record to go along with a .911 save% and 2.73 GAA but has a 2-2-0 record in 2023. Murray was pulled after allowing four goals on eight shots against Florida in his last start on Jan. 17, a game in which the Leafs came back to win with Samsonov in the net.
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