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It was a long time coming for Toronto Maple Leafs goaltender Matt Murray, who finally played in his first NHL contest since April of 2023 when he was hurt against the Detroit Red Wings.
Murray made 25 saves in his first NHL win in nearly 25 months, helping the Maple Leafs send the Buffalo Sabres to what was their 13th straight loss. And afterward, he made it clear that the win meant a lot to him, via The New York Times.
“A long road. A big mountain to climb. But I kept this moment in the front of my mind on the days it felt tough,” Murray said. “A big release, a rush of emotions.”
“I was able to take a moment in warmups and during the anthem and look around and appreciate the long journey that it’s been and think of all the people who helped me get here,” Murray continued.
The Leafs weren't able to win for the second consecutive night, falling 6-3 to the New York Islanders on Saturday; though it was Joseph Woll between the pipes.
Matt Murray re-signed with the Maple Leafs on a one-year contract
The Maple Leafs, who picked up Murray from the Senators in a July 2022 trade, tried to roll with the tandem of Murray and Ilya Samsonov during his first year with the team.
However, Murray ran into injury issues, as has been the case throughout his NHL Career.
He helped the Penguins win back-to-back Stanley Cup championships in 2016 and 2017, and was essentially declared the heir-apparent to Penguins icon Marc-Andre Fleury, who was allowed to leave the organization and was subsequently taken by the Vegas Golden Knights in the 2017 NHL Expansion Draft.
But Murray was never able to replicate the postseason success that he had during that pair of postseason runs, and he was soon on the way out of Pittsburgh; as a pending restricted free agent, the Leafs traded Murray to the Senators, with whom he soon inked a four-year contract.
He was re-signed by the Leafs to a one-year deal during the offseason.
