MAJOR | Toronto Maple Leafs goaltender to miss entire 2023-24 season
The Toronto Maple Leafs were in a bit of a pickle when it came to their cap situation, but now some of those concerns have begun to fade with an announcement made by the organization on Wednesday.
At noon ET, the Maple Leafs' public relations Twitter announced that Matt Murray is out indefinitely and will be placed no long-term injured reserve. Murray is not expected to play at all during the 2023-24 season.
It's a bit strange that the Maple Leafs are placing the Thunder Bay native on LTIR, unless there's an injury that isn't being disclosed. Murray was skating with the team during their second round series against the Florida Panthers and was their third goalie, which meant he was healthy enough to suit up for them, if needed.
With Ilya Samsonov being awarded a one-year deal at $3.55 million following an arbitration hearing, the Maple Leafs were significantly over the salary cap, so this move to put Murray on LTIR could be purely just to open up some cap space. It's unlikely that Murray would land on long-term injured reserve if he wasn't injured, but if that is the case, the National Hockey League would definitely open an investigation into the issue.
The Maple Leafs had a 48-hour buyout window to use, if they wanted, after Ilya Samsonov's arbitration decision, but instead of going down that route with Matt Murray, he'll now land on LTIR for next season.
Murray, 29, was limited to just 26 games last season due to injuries he suffered throughout the year. In those 26 games, he sported a record of 14-8-2 with a 3.01 goals against average, .903 save percentage and one shutout.
No way the Leafs would be going the LTIR route if they didn't have evidence Murray isn't good to go for the season. Because this will (and should) get investigated by the league. Being available to play in an emergency in a single playoff game is not the same as being "healthy".� Clayton Jugg (@Totally_Offside) July 26, 2023
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