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Maple Leafs Lose Backup Goalie to Kraken in Free Agency

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Antonio Losada | Last updated Jul 2, 2025 8:24 AM ET

One of the Toronto Maple Leafs' pending free agents has found a new NHL home after two years of setbacks in Canada.

Veteran goaltender Matt Murray, 31, signed a one-year, $1 million deal with the Seattle Kraken, ending his time with the Maple Leafs organization on Tuesday.

Murray spent most of the 2024–25 season in the AHL with the Toronto Marlies, where he put together an impressive rebound campaign, albeit in the minors. In 21 appearances, he posted a 10-5-4 record, a 1.72 goals-against average, a .934 save percentage, and three shutouts.

Murray, however, appeared in just two regular-season games for the NHL team of the Maple Leafs, going 1–1–0 with a 3.54 GAA and .879 save percentage.

️ THIS JUST IN

Goaltender Matt Murray is joining the #SeaKraken on a one-year deal → https://t.co/5IQhHlgrrA pic.twitter.com/GnDyJ9jzET
— Seattle Kraken (@SeattleKraken) July 1, 2025

Murray underwent bilateral hip surgery in October 2023 and missed the entire 2023-24 NHL season while rehabbing.

“Matt’s a veteran goalie with a proven track record of winning,” Kraken general manager Jason Botterill said. “He’s a two-time Cup champion who gives us depth in goal. We’re excited to have him join our team.”

Murray won back-to-back Stanley Cups with the Pittsburgh Penguins in 2016 and 2017. Botterill, for what it's worth, was Pittsburgh’s associate GM during that stretch and now brings Murray into a Seattle crease that needs depth.

Kraken netminder Philipp Grubauer is coming off a poor NHL campaign and will represent Germany at the upcoming Olympics. Joey Daccord is also under contract.

Ales Stezka, however, signed with a Czech Republic team and thus left the door open for Murray to enter as a potential backup option down the road for Seattle when Grubauer departs for the Olympics.

“Matt has dealt with injuries. We feel he’s healthy. We feel he’s hungry to compete for a position,” Botterill said. “He obviously has the pedigree of knowing what it takes to win a Stanley Cup.”

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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