The goaltending carousel continues to move throughout this NHL offseason. We saw a few goaltending moves at the 2022 NHL Draft, and now the Toronto Maple Leafs have entered the fray.
The Maple Leafs have acquired goaltender Matt Murray, a 2023 third-round pick, and a 2024 seventh-round pick from the Ottawa Senators in exchange for future considerations. The Senators retained 25% of Murray's salary to make the deal work.
It was a less than successful tenure in Canada's capital city. He played just 47 games across two seasons with the Sens, winning 15 games. He posted a .899 save percentage and 3.23 goals-against average in his Senators career.
However, Murray has been a successful netminder in his career. He was fourth in Calder Trophy voting in 2016-17 as the league's best rookie. His playoff performances early in his career were spectacular.
The new Maple Leafs netminder helped propel the Pittsburgh Penguins to back-to-back Stanley Cups. It was a feat not seen in the NHL since the Detroit Red Wings of the late 1990s.
“We’re thankful for Matt’s contributions and wish him well,” Senators general manager Pierre Dorion said when the trade was announced.
The 28-year-old Murray posted a .914 save percentage and a 2.67 goals-against average in 199 games with the Penguins. The Penguins traded him to Ottawa for a 2020 second-round pick and forward Jonathan Gruden.
The Maple Leafs have faced the possibility of losing starting goaltender Jack Campbell to free agency. This move has been coming for some time and seems to signal Campbell's departure.
Murray is not the same goaltender he used to be. However, in the right situation, he could provide good depth between the posts. And the Maple Leafs didn't really give up anything here. It's a lower risk, high reward move for Toronto.
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