GDT: Training Camp discussion - Rifai and Murray on waivers -- Steeves clears

[Enniskillen]

why did I read that with Trumps voice in my head?

I read it like it’s the best speech ever. Great club, great player, met him once, love them all.

 

[Nineteen67]

Unknown? Until they show something different, we all know exactly what they are as a playoff team.

I for one, am ready for something different.

You never know, but 7 years of the same and one miss wasn’t an accident.

 

[Antropovsky]

I dont think Murray gets through. Hed be a great pickup for Edmonton, considering their playoff tending. If they have the space.

 

[Buds17]

I dont think Murray gets through. Hed be a great pickup for Edmonton, considering their playoff tending. If they have the space.

It'd be a plausible yet risky proposition for a playoff team just because he didn't take to the ice for an NHL game at all last season.

 

[Antropovsky]

It'd be a plausible yet risky proposition for a playoff team just because he didn't take to the ice for an NHL game at all last season.

He looked pretty good in preseason.

 

[Buds17]

He looked pretty good in preseason.

Depending upon how much stock teams put into preseason hockey and their overall need at the position, yes.

 

[Rude Dog]

I think the leafs are a very good regular season team

They were an ot goal away from getting into the 2nd round in consecutive years with 88 and 34 missing games. Thats almost like climbing Everest for this team. Can’t wait to be at the Cup banner raising ceremony. Gonna happen any decade now.

 

[bansheebeat]

I like Rifai as much as the next guy, but he's a defensive Dman who's played 2 whole games in the NHL. That's a massive gamble for any team to take. I just don't see him getting claimed.

 

[Antropovsky]

Depending upon how much stock teams put into preseason hockey and their overall need at the position, yes.

Pickard... or 6'5, two time Stanley cup winner, on @900,000 contract. After the rickety play by their goalies last playoffs. Id make it happen, personally.

 

[notDatsyuk]

What do Habs fans have to say now?

Did any of them mention that Pare is from Quebec City (well, Levis, a suburb)?

 

[Apex Predator]

I could be wrong but the last few seasons I hear about all this depth we have but by season ends it turns out the depth we thought we had wasn’t good.

 

[hockeywiz542]

Maple Leafs place Matt Murray on waivers: Is a signing bonus enough to keep him in Toronto? - The Athletic

TORONTO - Getting depth goaltenders through the waiver wire is among the most unpredictable tasks NHL teams face in the days leading up to the regular season. An ill-timed injury, poor training camp performance or even a drawn-out contract negotiation elsewhere could prompt a rival to pluck your No. 3 just before opening night and weaken your organization at a key position.

The Toronto Maple Leafs know this well, having lost Curtis McElhinney and Calvin Pickard to waivers on the same day before the 2018-19 season and then Aaron Dell under the same circumstances ahead of the 2021-22 campaign.

So they’ve come up with a creative solution to try and keep it from happening again.

Included in the $875,000 contract the Leafs gave veteran Matt Murray over the summer is a $100,000 signing bonus due this Thursday, according to league sources — a pending payment that could serve as a disincentive for another team to put a claim in on Murray after he was exposed to the waiver wire Sunday afternoon.

Teams have until 2 p.m. ET on Monday to decide if they’ll grab the two-time Stanley Cup winner coming off a lost season following bilateral hip surgery.

If someone really likes Murray and has a gaping need, the signing bonus likely won’t be enough to scare them away. But for those weighing whether it’s worth taking a flier on the 30-year-old with a long history of health challenges, it’s another data point to consider — especially with cheaper depth goaltending options Jiři Patera (Boston), Brandon Bussi (Boston), Devin Cooley (Calgary), Olivier Rodrigue (Edmonton), Marcus Högberg (N.Y. Islanders) and Pheonix Copley (Los Angeles) among the other players also on waivers.

Toronto used a similarly structured contract to get veteran goaltender Martin Jones through waivers unclaimed last October and it ended up paying dividends. Jones was recalled from the American Hockey League in early December and never returned after Joseph Woll suffered a significant ankle injury — making 22 appearances for the Leafs while posting an 11-8-1 record.

 

[bax]

I think it sends a terrible message if Robertson isn't in the starting lineup on Wed. I'd think that would be worse than not starting Spezza in his first game. Also, his family is flying in to watch him in that game

They mentioned on the broadcast during the last game he’ll be in the lineup and his family is coming to the game.

 

[BrannigansLaw]

They should make the playoffs but after that they’re an unknown. There’s hope, but no one can assume they’ll be competitive. The core have never dictated who wins the series and rely on the opposition to determine the outcome.

If their stars get pushed out again they won’t win. It’s that simple.

They’re not an unknown. They are remarkably consistent in the postseason. Out in round one.