The Maple Leafs allowed the most goals of any team that reached the playoffs in 2022. Now, they're looking to improve that heading into the 2022-23 season.
On Monday, the team announced it had acquired goaltender Matt Murray from the Senators.
The move hopefully provides stability to Toronto, who had five different goaltenders start in net during the 2021-22 season, and none of whom found much success. Jack Campbell had the best win-loss record at 31-9, but posted a 2.64 GAA and .914 save percentage. The former was tied for 15th among goalies with at least 20 starts, while the latter was tied for 16th in the NHL. Campbell is currently a free agent.
Here's how the deal for Murray went down.
NHL DRAFT PICKS: Maple Leafs | Senators
Matt Murray trade details
- Maple Leafs receive: Matt Murray, 2023 third-round pick, 2024 fourth-round pick
- Senators receive: Future considerations
As of now, the return of the Senators is not yet known.
What is known is that the Maple Leafs are not just receiving Murray, but a pair of future draft picks. The Senators will also retain 25 percent of Murray's salary. According to Spotrac, Murray is slated to earn $7 million in the 2022-23 season.
MORE: When does NHL free agency start in 2022?
Matt Murray stats
Since arriving in Ottawa, Murray has not been the same goalkeeper he was while in Pittsburgh.
While with the Penguins, Murray was a regular starter, who had replaced Marc-Andre Fleury as the starter in net late in the 2015-16 season and helped guide the team to a Stanley Cup title. He was named to the All-Rookie Team in 2016-17, and finished fourth in the Calder Memorial Trophy voting as he again led the team to a Stanley Cup title, making him the first rookie goaltender to do so.
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He was traded to the Senators ahead of the 2020-21 season, and signed a four-year, $25 million extension with Ottawa, but struggled in the role. He was placed on waivers on Nov. 28, 2021, and was demoted to the AHL Belleville Senators.
During the end of the season, Murray was nearly traded to the Sabres, but vetoed the deal as Buffalo was included on his no-trade list.
| Season | Appearances | Starts | Record | GAA | SV% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2015-16 | 13 | 13 | 9-2-1 | 2.00 | .930 |
| 2016-17 | 49 | 47 | 32-10-4 | 2.41 | .923 |
| 2017-18 | 49 | 45 | 27-16-3 | 2.92 | .907 |
| 2018-19 | 50 | 50 | 29-14-6 | 2.69 | .919 |
| 2019-20 | 38 | 38 | 20-11-5 | 2.87 | .899 |
| 2020-21 | 27 | 25 | 10-13-1 | 3.38 | .893 |
| 2021-22 | 20 | 20 | 5-12-2 | 3.05 | .906 |
