With the Leafs having a cap crunch, we will be closely watching to see how they open up some cap space. One of the most highly speculated upon players is Matt Murray. With a cap hit of $4,687,500, Murray will cost the Leafs a pretty penny despite not even being their starter.
This Friday, the NHL buyout window opens and we could watch if Matt Murray is bought out or not.
If the Leafs decide to buyout Murray, it will result in them saving exactly $4 million next year. However, they will then owe Murray $2 million in 2024-25 which could further hinder them if they are looking to resign Matthews and Nylander.
A Murray buyout would hold the Leafs over till other big contracts like TJ Brodie's expire. It would also help Toronto maintain a lot of their depth as they have only $9 million in cap space to resign 10 UFAs and give Ilya Samsonov a new contract.
Vegas just proved that depth and defense win championships so we expect Brad Treliving to bolster both. The best way to have wiggle room to make the necessary moves is by saving $4 million by buying out Murray.
While this may be a no-brainer to some, we will have to wait and see what Brad Treliving does as he is the man at the helm.
As seen on Maple Leafs Daily -
Leafs goaltender may be as good as gone in as little as 48 hours
POLL | ||
Will the Leafs buyout Matt Murray? | ||
Yes | 183 | 59.8 % |
No | 41 | 13.4 % |
Yes but they shouldn't | 32 | 10.5 % |
No but they should | 50 | 16.3 % |
List of polls |