Forgotten but not gone, the strange career of the now 30 year old Matt Murray continues. Featuring some incredible highs, the two-time Stanley Cup champion is coming off of a rough half-decade. Hampered by injury, Murray’s reputation has taken some hits along the way as well.
Murray and the Leafs are hoping that a new chapter begins, as the goalie finds himself back in the fold on a new contract. For their part, the Leafs are not putting too many eggs in the basket of a Murray bounce back season, firmly outside of the Leafs gameday lineup and with a minuscule cap hit.
Still, it might be too soon to give up on Murray. Let’s take a closer look at how Murray has reached this point to see if he might be able to contribute to the Leafs this coming season.
Stats
| Season | Team | League | GP | W | L | SO | GAA | SV% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010–11 | Soo Greyhounds | OHL | 28 | 8 | 11 | 1 | 3.79 | 0.887 |
| 2011–12 | Soo Greyhounds | OHL | 36 | 13 | 19 | 0 | 4.08 | 0.876 |
| 2012–13 | Soo Greyhounds | OHL | 53 | 26 | 19 | 1 | 3.67 | 0.894 |
| 2013–14 | Soo Greyhounds | OHL | 49 | 32 | 11 | 6 | 2.57 | 0.921 |
| 2013–14 | Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins | AHL | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2.00 | 0.92 |
| 2014–15 | Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins | AHL | 40 | 25 | 10 | 12 | 1.58 | 0.941 |
| 2015–16 | Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins | AHL | 31 | 20 | 9 | 4 | 2.10 | 0.931 |
| 2015–16 | Pittsburgh Penguins 🏆 | NHL | 13 | 9 | 2 | 1 | 2.00 | 0.93 |
| 2016–17 | Pittsburgh Penguins 🏆 | NHL | 49 | 32 | 10 | 4 | 2.41 | 0.923 |
| 2017–18 | Pittsburgh Penguins | NHL | 49 | 27 | 16 | 1 | 2.92 | 0.907 |
| 2018–19 | Pittsburgh Penguins | NHL | 50 | 29 | 14 | 4 | 2.69 | 0.919 |
| 2019–20 | Pittsburgh Penguins | NHL | 38 | 20 | 11 | 1 | 2.87 | 0.899 |
| 2020–21 | Ottawa Senators | NHL | 27 | 10 | 13 | 2 | 3.38 | 0.893 |
| 2021–22 | Ottawa Senators | NHL | 20 | 5 | 12 | 1 | 3.05 | 0.906 |
| 2021–22 | Belleville Senators | AHL | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2.55 | 0.918 |
| 2022–23 | Toronto Maple Leafs | NHL | 26 | 14 | 8 | 1 | 3.01 | 0.903 |
| 2023–24 | Toronto Marlies | AHL | 3 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 4.03 | 0.846 |
History
Famously, Murray was a member of the Soo Greyhounds acquired by Kyle Dubas. He enjoyed success in his junior career as the Greyhounds were a force. This led to an impressive performance by Murray in his last season in the OHL.
Murray would go on to prove himself in the AHL as a rookie, continuing his strong play, but it was in his sophomore AHL season that everything changed for Murray.
Called up to the Pittsburgh Penguins down the stretch of the regular season, Murray went on a fantastic playoff run. Not only did Murray acquit himself nicely, he took over the Penguins starting job, winning a Stanley Cup before even losing his status as a rookie.
Technically, Murray’s rookie season ended with a second Stanley Cup, a rare and seemingly contradictory accolade. The back-to-back Cup champion Penguins were a powerhouse, meaning Murray was often seen as more of a depth piece. One might say good enough to get the job done, more than a foundational part of the equation. Still, Murray deserves full credit for the spectacular genesis of his career.
As the Penguins declined, so too did confidence in Murray. Despite pushing Marc-Andre Fleury out of the Penguins crease, it was not long before Murray was in a different locale as well. With a big cap hit, Murray was off to the Ottawa Senators, expected to help a young Sens team transition back into playoff relevance.
In the cap world, a player’s contract can dictate or even supersede all other evaluations, which did Murray’s reputation no favours. His durability issues had already begun to rear their ugly head, which did not help either. Murray’s reputation continued to slide for another reason as well, namely the Sens defensive track record under former coach DJ Smith. Murray was but one step in a long path of the Sens goaltending futility, as the team cycled through a number of starters.
During this period the Sens frequently traded assets to acquire potential solutions to their goaltending woes, yet each failed to make the difference. In hindsight, this trend speaks to the Sens defensive play more than it does anything else. From Cam Talbot to Fillip Gustavsson, many of these goalies left Ottawa to find greater success elsewhere. To this day the Sens are caught on this treadmill, this time spending big to acquire Linus Ullmark.
Between his injuries, his contract, and his team’s record, public opinion on Murray had almost completely eroded by the time the Leafs acquired him. The injuries have continued for Murray, leaving him in a near-perpetual state of rust, but there is some hope.
Profile
While his championships inspire an everlasting confidence that Murray can rise to the occasion, he has managed some respectable seasons with the Leafs. There is no disputing that Murray can get the job done behind the right team, or at least that he has done so. Murray is tall and long-limbed, looking the part of a modern NHL goaltender, but is also noted to read the play quite well. This leads to good positioning and in turn, a calmness that exudes poise.
The negatives exist, as Murray is not a fantastic puck handler, and has had troubles with jam plays at his feet in the past. By no means a perfect goaltender, the biggest problem with Murray is that he cannot be relied upon in any regular role or at any meaningful salary.
Fit
Now with a mere $875k cap hit, the salary can no longer be held against him. It is clear that this has hampered the perception of Murray’s career. Most of the issues that Leafs faithful have had with Murray were due to his cap hit and injuries. In truth, beyond these criteria, Murray has been a capable goalie with the Leafs.
The championship experience is the biggest positive, in a sense making Murray the ideal third-string goalie. Behind Joseph Woll and newly acquired backup Anthony Stolarz, Murray will not be forced into a heavy workload, or even expected to be a regular contributor. Given Woll’s own injury history, though, there might well be situations where the Leafs must turn to another goalie.
Our number six Leafs prospect Dennis Hildeby enters the season as the Toronto Marlies starter, and could prove himself ready for a sampling of NHL action. Number seven prospect Artur Akhtyamov is right alongside Hildeby as a prospect, but might be a bit further from being an emergency NHL option. Murray frees the Leafs younger goalies from that burden, allowing them to make their NHL appearances on their own terms, or at least shifting them further down the depth chart.
Ultimately, the Leafs plan will be for Woll and Stolarz to perform well, stay healthy, and handle all of the Leafs games this season. However, as things inevitably do not go according to plan, Murray is a fantastic security option. If the Leafs need to turn to a third goalie in a must-win game, there might be no better option that can be hoped for than Murray, followed by some prospects. Still, Murray will need to stay healthy enough to shake off whatever rust has accumulated during his extended absence, but at the very least it is a worthwhile plan.
