NHL insider Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet says all options are on the table for the Toronto Maple Leafs, including recalling Matt Murray.
The Leafs got devastating news on December 17 as starting goalie Anthony Stolarz is out for four-to-six weeks. It’s a tough blow to the Maple Leafs, and immediately, many wondered if Toronto would make a move for a goalie.
According to Friedman, Toronto is weighing all options in terms of what they do with the goalie position.
“I think all options are going to be on the table,” Friedman said on Sportsnet 590 The Fan… The other thing you have got to be really careful here is, knowing Woll’s history, you can’t get to a point where he’s playing the next 20 games in a row,” Friedman continued. “Whoever the other goalie is, whether it’s going to be Hildeby or Matt Murray or somewhere else, they are going to play. So, I think that is where we are right now. There is a back-to-back this weekend, whether it’s Hildeby or someone else they are going to play. I assume it’s Hildeby or Murray, the circumstances are going to dictate who plays and how often.”
Murry re-signed with the Maple Leafs this off-season after completing his four-year $25 million deal. The goalie helped the Pittsburgh Penguins back-to-back Stanley Cups in 2016 and 2017.
Murray does have more NHL experience than Hildeby, so Friedman believes calling up the veteran could be Toronto’s plan to replace the injured Stolarz.
Stolarz Undergoing Surgery
Stolarz signed with Toronto in the offseason and he has had immediate success.
However, it was revealed Stolarz would need surgery on his knee after an MRI revealed a ‘loose body’ was behind his knee.
“He’s going to have a procedure to have that removed,” Maple Leafs GM Brad Treliving said. “It’s not a repair or anything of that nature but they are going to remove that loose body, it looks like a little pebble. … I would anticipate we are looking in the 4-6 week range, hopefully sooner rather than later. Obviously, you don’t want to see anybody out, especially a goaltender who has been playing well like that. But it has to be addressed, and we are going to get it addressed.”
Stolarz has gone 9-5-2 with a 2.15 GAA and a .917 SV% this season. He signed a two-year $5 million deal in free agency with Toronto.
Maple Leafs Confident in Goalie Depth
Despite Toronto losing Stolatrz for over a month, the team is confident in their depth.
The Maple Leafs could rely on Hildeby or Murray to back up Joseph Woll, so whoever it is Treliving has confidence.
“I’ve got lots of confidence in our group,” Treliving said. “Joseph has played extremely well. This is nothing new for us; we’ve been dealing with some injuries and that’s why we’ve got depth at all the positions. Joe and Anthony have been tremendous as a pair for us, but we’ve got Dennis and Matt and ‘Double A’ down there, so we feel we’ve got some depth at the position and this is why we’ve have it.”
Murray is 3-1-2 with a 2.15 GAA and a .919 SV% in the AHL. In his NHL career, Murray is 146-86-24 with a 2.79 GAA and a .910 SV%.
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Insider: Maple Leafs Could Turn to Former $25 Million Goalie to Replace Stolarz