The Toronto Maple Leafs look to be the perfect fit for goaltender Matt Murray. He doesn’t look like the same goaltender that lost seven of his final ten games in the 2021-22 season.
Murray finished the preseason with a 3-0-0 record while stopping 64 of the 66 shots he faced for .970 SV%. Murray helped the Toronto Maple Leafs win their final preseason game 5-1 on Saturday. He stopped 18 of the 19 shots he faced and looks ready to start the regular season.
Toronto has Murray for the next two seasons with a $4.687 million cap hit. Leafs general manager Kyle Dubas is taking a big gamble with Murray. Hopefully, Murray will prove to Dubas that he made the right decision. The Toronto Maple Leafs will play their first game of the 2022-23 season on Wednesday, October 12th, in Washington against the Capitals.
(Salary Cap Info: capfriendly.com)
Murray will be the starter for that game, so we will see how he plays when there are points on the line. Toronto will start the season with three games in four nights. Murray will likely get two of those three starts and get tested early. All Toronto can hope for this season is that Murray stays healthy and plays for Toronto as he played for Pittsburgh.
Toronto Maple Leafs GM Gambles on Murray
Toronto GM Kyle Dubas has not shied away from his contract being up at the end of this season. Team president Brendan Shanahan will wait until the end of the 2022-23 season to have any contract discussions with Dubas. So, in other words, if Toronto fails to make it out of the first round again, Dubas is likely not getting re-signed.
With his back up against the wall, Dubas hopes Matt Murray can help this team get over the first-round hump. Murray has looked good so far, but there is a long season ahead.
The Toronto Maple Leafs finished fourth overall last season with some of the worst goaltending in hockey, so while the season doesn’t necessarily rest on Murray’s shoulders, a strong season from him will do wonders for the team.
Fans had every right to question the trade Dubas made with Ottawa to acquire Matt Murray. The trade brought in a guy who only played in 20 games last season due to injuries and lost 12 of them.
Murray was brought in to replace Jack Campbell. Campbell won 31 games last season. Murray has some big shoes to fill, but if he helps Toronto win a playoff series, all the other stuff won’t matter as much.