Insider provides major update on Leafs G Matt Murray

Monday morning on his 32 Thoughts podcast with Jeff Marek, Elliote Friedman touched plenty of hot topics for teams across the NHL, but an intriguing name brought up was Maple Leafs goaltender Matt Murray.

Around the thirty-minute mark Friedman dropped a bombshell, stating that Murray is eligible to return before the end of the season. He also shared what he believes is the plan for Toronto and Murray, who has been on the ice with teammates in recent weeks as we inch towards the end of March.

Friedman stated that there is a strong possibility that the two-time Stanley Cup winning goaltender will be activated in early to mid April towards the end of the regular season.

The only problem is that there will be no logical way to activate the veteran goaltender to have him play in any games before the regular season finishes due to cap constraints.


So, how does Friedman believe the Leafs will deal with the Murray situation? Well, he believes that a conditioning loan with the Toronto Marlies is possible. A successful conditioning loan would be great news for the Leafs, who would then have additional insurance at the goaltending position in the postseason.

Ilya Samsonov and Martin Jones are likely going to seek a pay raise, and if they don't return to Toronto, that would leave only Joseph Woll signed and a second goalie required. Could we see Matt Murray sign a contract close to league minimum to split the workload next season in Toronto? Could we see Murray play a similar role next season to the one Martin Jones has played with the Leafs this year? It certainly seems possible.