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Matt Murray, Toronto Maple Leafs (Jess Starr/The Hockey Writers)

Whatever Happened to Ex-Maple Leafs Goalie Matt Murray?

Originally posted on The Hockey Writers | By The Old Prof | Last updated Feb 9, 2026 1:20 PM ET

For a while, Matt Murray was everywhere and nowhere at the same time. A Stanley Cup champion with the Pittsburgh Penguins before he was legally old enough to rent a car in some places, then a Toronto Maple Leafs reclamation project, then a long stretch where his name only came up when someone mentioned injuries. And then — quietly — he was gone.

Murray’s Time in Toronto Didn’t Amount to Much

Murray’s time with the Maple Leafs never really settled into anything tidy. He arrived as a gamble: a goalie with pedigree, scars, and something still left in the tank if his body would cooperate. For Toronto, it was a low-risk move to acquire him. For Murray, it was probably one last chance to prove he could still be a regular NHL goaltender.

The problem, of course, was health, or more accurately, hips. Bilateral hip surgery isn’t a footnote; it’s a full chapter in a goalie’s career. Murray spent most of the 2023–24 season rehabbing instead of playing, and when he did get back on the ice, it wasn’t with the Maple Leafs. It was with the American Hockey League (AHL) Toronto Marlies. There were quieter buildings and earlier games. A different rhythm entirely.

When Murray Healed, He Also Got Good Again

But here’s the part that most Maple Leafs don’t know: when Murray finally got healthy, he was good. Really good, in fact. In 2024–25 with the Marlies, he went 10–5–4 with a 1.72 goals-against average and a .934 save percentage. Those aren’t ‘just okay’ numbers — they’re legitimately strong.

Toronto, however, had moved on. By the end of that season, Murray was gone. He slid out of town. He hit free agency again, but this time, few noticed.

Kraken Signed Murray to a Small Contract

The Seattle Kraken came calling on July 1, 2025. The contract? One year for $1 million. No promises. The Kraken already had Joey Daccord and Philipp Grubauer, but they wanted insurance. They thought Murray was a player who’d been around, and a goalie who wouldn’t panic if tossed into the crease for a stretch.

The Kraken training camp became a competition. Murray and Grubauer battled for backup duties, with Daccord firmly seen as the starter. There was even some talk of Seattle carrying three goalies to avoid losing Murray on waivers. That’s good news on its own for Murray. At age 31, he was wanted.

When the season started, Murray’s appearances were sporadic, but the play was steady. He wasn’t stealing games, but he wasn’t playing poorly either. A 2–1 loss here. A strong night with no goal support there. Early numbers told a familiar story: respectable goals-against, solid save percentage, zero wins. The goalie stat line that drives goalies quietly bonkers.

Matt Murray, Seattle Kraken (Steven Bisig-Imagn Images)

Still, he kept getting looks. With Daccord injured briefly, Murray even settled into something close to a rotation. His best night came in mid-November with a 33-save performance in a shootout loss when he did everything but win. At that point, it felt like he might finally be stabilizing his place again.

Then Murray’s Body Acted Up Again

Then, the body stepped in. Again. On Nov. 15, 2025, Murray was injured late in the first period against the San Jose Sharks. It was a lower-body issue suffered during the first goal of the game. Two days later, the update came: out approximately six weeks. Injured reserve. Same old story, different city, different side of North America.

That injury didn’t just sideline him — it stalled everything. Daccord came back healthy. The depth chart reset. Murray, once again, found himself fighting the calendar as much as opposing shooters.

Where’s Matt Murray Now?

Right now, the injury report says that he’ll be out until at least Feb. 25. He didn’t flame out. He didn’t forget how to play. He didn’t stop working. What happened was something far less dramatic and far more common: his body never quite gave him a long enough runway after the surgeries to fully reestablish himself. Will he return to play again? Who knows?

In Toronto, he became a question mark. In Seattle, he became insurance for other goalies. Somewhere in between, he became a reminder of how thin the margin is for goaltenders whose careers peak early and break quietly.

Murray’s still around. Still capable. Still respected in rooms. But the version of him who once looked like the future arrived too early. Right now, it looks as if he paid for it later.