When the Maple Leafs acquired Matt Murray during the 2022 offseason, the club was betting on a Stanley Cup champion to bounce back from injuries.
The gamble did not pay off, and there is a chance that Murray never plays another game in a Toronto jersey.
Murray is expected to miss the entirety of the 2023-24 NHL season after undergoing hip surgery. As a result, the Maple Leafs goaltender has been placed on long-term injured reserve.
The 29-year-old was acquired by the Leafs before last season in a trade with the Senators. The plan for Toronto was to rotate between Murray and Ilya Samsonov, however, injuries limited Murray to just 26 games.
He ended the 2022-23 season with a record of 14-8-2, a 3.01 GAA and a .903 save percentage.
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Matt Murray injury update
The Maple Leafs announced before the start of the season that Murray underwent successful bilateral hip surgery on Oct. 9.
He had already been ruled out for the season by general manager Brad Treliving during training camp.
Murray is expected to be out for six to eight months, giving him ample time to recover before the start of the 2024-25 season.
Maple Leafs goalie depth chart
With Murray out for the year, Samsonov should shoulder a majority of the workload in the crease. In his first season with Toronto, the Russian goaltender went 27-10-5 with a 2.33 GAA and a .919 SV%.
Joseph Woll will be Samsonov's backup. The young netminder is still considered a rookie after making only seven appearances last year. Woll went 6-1-0 with a 2.16 GAA and .932 SV% during the regular season.
If an injury to either goalie occurs, Erik Kallgren is the likely candidate to be called up from the AHL.
| Rank | Goalie |
| No. 1 | Ilya Samsonov |
| No. 2 | Joseph Woll |
| No. 3 | Matt Murray (injured) |
Matt Murray contract
Murray is in the final season of a four-year, $25 million contract. He signed the deal with the Senators ahead of the 2020-21 season.
His contract carries a cap hit of $6.25 million this season, although it is split between the Senators and Maple Leafs. Toronto is on the hook for $4.69 million this season while Ottawa is on the books for the additional $1.56 million. Since Murray was placed on LTIR by Toronto, his cap hit will not go towards the Leafs' salary cap.
He will be an unrestricted free agent after this season.
| Season | AAV |
| 2023-24 | $6,500,000 |
| 2024-25 | UFA |
