Matt Murray's AHL stint has been a disaster for Maple Leafs
Last week, the news came out regarding Matt Murray stating that he will be sent to the Toronto Marlies on a conditioning loan after suffering an injury keeping him out since April 2023. In hopes of having him ready for the playoffs, his stinct has been a disaster so far.
Matt Murray hasn't played a game since April 2023, as it was announced during training camp that he would miss the entirety of the 2023-24 season with a lingering hip injury which put him on the team's LTIR. It has been over a month since the goaltender has returned to the team's practices, and most recently about a week ago the netminder was sent down to the minors for a conditioning stint with the Toronto Marlies, and it's safe to say that he needs some more reps before being able to backup Ilya Samsonov.
In his first game with the Marlies, Murray managed to cruise them to victory, however he let in 5 goals on 27 shots, an underwhelming performance to say the least. His most recent game was against the Rochester Americans, where he failed to deliver a win, losing 3-1. The goaltender has held a .857 save percentage in his first two games back from injury.
Are the Leafs relying on him to be ready for the playoffs? No not necessarily, however having an experienced backup is never an answer to say no to. Despite those aspirations, the team may be better off suited with Joseph Woll backing up Ilya Samsonov for round one against the Boston Bruins.
Update:
Today at Marlies practice, Matt Murray stood out as one of two goalkeepers participating, and he's slated for one more AHL game, according to head coach John Gruden. Murray's stint with the team, which began on Saturday, comes from the Maple Leafs for conditioning.
As read on- Maple Leafs Daily
Matt Murray has had a rough conditioning loan so far
| POLL | ||
Who should backup Ilya Samsonov? | ||
| Woll | 926 | 78.7 % |
| Murray | 251 | 21.3 % |
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