Treliving likely to buy out Murray.

[DarkKnight]

Moving Murray A Costly Case for Maple Leafs​

Right now, the biggest hole the Maple Leafs will have to fill is in net. Given their current situation, they will kick off the year with Woll and Murray as Samsonov remains an unsigned restricted free agent.

However, assuming Samsonov signs, the Maple Leafs will have even bigger cap issues given that he’s due for a fairly big raise following his first season in blue and white. So, with that in mind, the Maple Leafs will be forced to move a contract to help get them under the cap — with the understanding that Jake Muzzin’s contract will be moved to LTIR at the start of the season.

The most realistic contract to move? You guessed it — Matt Murray.

But, it won’t come cheap for the Maple Leafs. Moving his contract, given his numbers and injury woes of late, will likely cost the Maple Leafs a draft pick in the first or second round of the 2024 NHL Draft — especially with teams knowing where the Maple Leafs sit cap-wise and no team rushing to help the Leafs out of their cap troubles.

Regardless, Murray looks like he will be the odd man out when Samsonov does sign and it won’t be cheap or easy for Treliving to get it done. It certainly doesn’t help that Murray has a 10-team no-trade list as well on his contract.

Imagine two years in a row having to sacrifice a first rounder to turf a boat anchor goalie. Dubas didn’t “build a team from the crease out”, he left a mess that will forever solicit laughter from me everytime I dare hear the word “Marleau” from anyone. Let’s hope Treliving finds a way to avoid another high pick, because the cupboard was also left pretty bare by his predecessor.

 

[smitty10]

Because we don’t have a goalie and our defense is shot. We went all in last year and spent our futures so now there’s nothing left to trade to fill the holes (until we move a core piece). Not to mention the most important part that this core has proven time and time again they have no idea how to win.

We pushed all the chips in last year and lost. There’s no rentals coming this year unless we want a SJ Sharks style prospect pool, and I have no idea why we’d do that for a core that can’t win.

We’ve got talent, a Cinderella run is always possible, but we’re lying to ourselves if we think this blue line and goalie tandem is anywhere near championship quality. You can have a mediocre goalie or a mediocre blue line, but not both.

The Leafa have plenty of tradeable assets. It's very early in the off-season. Goaltending and D will be dealt with shortly. I imagine there will be another forward or 2 acquired as well.

 

[FerrisRox]

Anyway, they should have a meeting of the minds with Murray. You want your full $8 million, you're taking a little detour to Robidas Island. If you want to resuscitate your career and won't play ball with LTIR, you're getting the boot.

Players can't "play ball" with LTIR.

It's not just the leagues salary cap at play, but also millions of dollars in insurance money.

There are multiple protocols for LTIR, and it involves the medical staff of the member club trying to place a player on LTIR, a second medical professional (working for the league) that then has to concur with the teams findings and, depending on how long the player is sidelined and whether insurance then has to cover the financials, a third doctor that has to verify the claims of both the team and league doctors.

A healthy player "playing ball" and going on the LTIR is just fantasy stuff. That doesn't happen.

 

[LeafGrief]

The Leafa have plenty of tradeable assets. It's very early in the off-season. Goaltending and D will be dealt with shortly. I imagine there will be another forward or 2 acquired as well.

Here’s a list of assets
Matthews
Marner
Nylander
Rielly
Knies
Liljegren
McCabe

Cowan
Niemela
Minten
1st rounder 2024

That’s about all I’ve got. The rest have little to no value unless we’re talking about selling at the deadline. Our B prospects aren’t any better than anyone else’s B prospects and we’ve been selling draft picks for five years of rentals.

What are we trading to fix the net and blue line? With what cap space are we adding players? We’re already 8m over the cap, Muzzin goes on LTIR but we have to buy out or dump Murray just to sign Samsonov who is a completely mediocre goalie.

 

[smitty10]

Here’s a list of assets
Matthews
Marner
Nylander
Rielly
Knies
Liljegren
McCabe

Cowan
Niemela
Minten
1st rounder 2024

That’s about all I’ve got. The rest have little to no value unless we’re talking about selling at the deadline. Our B prospects aren’t any better than anyone else’s B prospects and we’ve been selling draft picks for five years of rentals.

What are we trading to fix the net and blue line? With what cap space are we adding players? We’re already 8m over the cap, Muzzin goes on LTIR but we have to buy out or dump Murray just to sign Samsonov who is a completely mediocre goalie.

You're forgetting Robertson as an asset. He's 21.

Samsonov was a good goalie for us last year. Mediocre goaltending can win Cups. Look at Vegas (Adin Hill), Colorado (Kuemper), Washington (Holtby), Chicago (Niemi, Crawford), etc.

Tre isn't done. I guarantee it.

 

[ToneDog]

What a horrendous trade. How do the Dubasites justify this one?

Imagine getting bent over by Pierre Dorion.

One Dubasite claimed we could get a positive return for Murray during the season and now claims it won't cost much to dump him this offseason. It is clear Dubas did not get enough from Dorion to justify the trade. Now Tre is left holding the bag.

 

[ToneDog]

You're forgetting Robertson as an asset. He's 21.

Samsonov was a good goalie for us last year. Mediocre goaltending can win Cups. Look at Vegas (Adin Hill), Colorado (Kuemper), Washington (Holtby), Chicago (Niemi, Crawford), etc.

Tre isn't done. I guarantee it.

Robertson has virtually zero value and none of those goalies were "mediocre" in winning the SC.

 

[LeafGrief]

You're forgetting Robertson as an asset. He's 21.

Samsonov was a good goalie for us last year. Mediocre goaltending can win Cups. Look at Vegas (Adin Hill), Colorado (Kuemper), Washington (Holtby), Chicago (Niemi, Crawford), etc.

Tre isn't done. I guarantee it.

Tre ain’t done, I know that. But unless he absolutely swindles a GM to bring in a ton of value, we’re on a short down swing before we open up a window again.

Robertson has next to no value, too many injuries with not enough upside. We’re happy to hold onto him and hope he turns into something, but he’s a filler prospect at this point in time. Hardly the kind of asset that moves the needle in a trade where we get a Muzzin replacement.

Mediocre goalies win cups when they have Pietrangelo-Theodore, Makar-Toews, or Kieth-Seabrook in front of them. Samsonov might be able to get it done, but it would mean adding a 1D to the roster who compliments Rielly. Sammy ain’t doing it with the D we have right now, that’s for sure.

 

[smitty10]

Robertson has virtually zero value and none of those goalies were "mediocre" in winning the SC.

To your point, when has Samsonov been mediocre during his Leafs tenure? 2.33 GAA, .919 SV%

 

[Sypher04]

Mediocre goalies win cups when they have Pietrangelo-Theodore, Makar-Toews, or Kieth-Seabrook in front of them. Samsonov might be able to get it done, but it would mean adding a 1D to the roster who compliments Rielly. Sammy ain’t doing it with the D we have right now, that’s for sure.

That’s not entirely true. Murray is a mediocre goalie who won 2 cups behind a defensive group that was for the first one at best on par with ours and for the second notably worse with no Letang

Pens have always been my number 2 team, but those back to back cup teams were not all that on the backend at all

 

[Mess]

The Maple Leafs Likely Knew This Was The Pathway To Murray Moving On​

Treliving likely understood this was the road the team was headed down. He hinted as much in media conversations during the draft and in free agency where the team flew over the salary cap ceiling with some big signings. Once the Samsonov arb case was filed, and is ultimately settled or awarded, according to PuckPedia, the Maple Leafs will receive an additional 48-hour buyout window. This window opens three days after the arbitration settlement or award. The eligibility for this buyout window is limited to players with cap hits exceeding $4 million who were on the team’s roster at the last trade deadline. Murray meets these criteria with his $4.6 million cap hit and his injury status during the trade deadline.


As the Maple Leafs consider their options, the potential buyout window offers them flexibility in addressing their goaltending situation. Whether they pursue a trade or opt for a buyout, the team aims to make a decision that will bolster their goaltending depth and improve their chances of success in the upcoming season.

 

[LeafGrief]

That’s not entirely true. Murray is a mediocre goalie who won 2 cups behind a defensive group that was for the first one at best on par with ours and for the second notably worse with no Letang

Pens have always been my number 2 team, but those back to back cup teams were not all that on the backend at all

Murray back then was pretty good and went supernova when it counted. I’ve always watched the Pens too and Letang is one of the most underrated players of a generation. They won one without him, but that’s one example of an “average” goalie and blue line tandem winning it all in the last couple of decades. Not the kind of odds we want to be looking at, especially since our core doesn’t know how to win shit. The Pens have Crosby and Malkin who in addition to being the two best centres of their generation, have incredible leadership and playoff performing abilities.

Our guys have talent and Cinderella runs are possible, but our team isn’t even close to those Pens teams. This isn’t a real cup window until we’ve rebuilt our blue line and stocked up some futures for rentals.

 

[Sypher04]

Murray back then was pretty good and went supernova when it counted. I’ve always watched the Pens too and Letang is one of the most underrated players of a generation. They won one without him, but that’s one example of an “average” goalie and blue line tandem winning it all in the last couple of decades. Not the kind of odds we want to be looking at, especially since our core doesn’t know how to win shit. The Pens have Crosby and Malkin who in addition to being the two best centres of their generation, have incredible leadership and playoff performing abilities.

Our guys have talent and Cinderella runs are possible, but our team isn’t even close to those Pens teams. This isn’t a real cup window until we’ve rebuilt our blue line and stocked up some futures for rentals.

To be clear, I wasn’t disagreeing with the sentiment of wanting to add. Obviously our odds of winning dramatically improve with another top pairing D

I’m not saying we are as good as those Pens teams, but I don’t think Murray was ever much more than average personally. You’re right about Letang though, great player. Like a physical Rielly but a little better. I mean defensively he had his flaws like Rielly does, offensively they’re both excellent. Although Letang has a great shot that he has been able to maximize on Pens powerplay

 

[Stephen]

Players can't "play ball" with LTIR.

It's not just the leagues salary cap at play, but also millions of dollars in insurance money.

There are multiple protocols for LTIR, and it involves the medical staff of the member club trying to place a player on LTIR, a second medical professional (working for the league) that then has to concur with the teams findings and, depending on how long the player is sidelined and whether insurance then has to cover the financials, a third doctor that has to verify the claims of both the team and league doctors.

A healthy player "playing ball" and going on the LTIR is just fantasy stuff. That doesn't happen.

I don't think it would be medical fiction if Matt Murray was deemed too injured to resume his hockey career next year. When has this guy been healthy for more than 2 weeks without suffering a months long setback?

Plus in the world of Joffrey Lupul and skate allergies...

 

[Stephen]

To be clear, I wasn’t disagreeing with the sentiment of wanting to add. Obviously our odds of winning dramatically improve with another top pairing D

I’m not saying we are as good as those Pens teams, but I don’t think Murray was ever much more than average personally. You’re right about Letang though, great player. Like a physical Rielly but a little better. I mean defensively he had his flaws like Rielly does, offensively they’re both excellent. Although Letang has a great shot that he has been able to maximize on Pens powerplay

When the Leafs brought Murray in there was a lot of chatter about what made him successful on Pittsburgh during their cup runs and a lot of it was length defending and a conscious effort to eliminate cross ice plays. Guys like Dumoulin, Hainsey, Maatta, Cole did a lot of that good work while Daley, Schultz were excellent puck movers. Letang was out for the wntire playoff run.

 

[nuck]

I don't think it would be medical fiction if Matt Murray was deemed too injured to resume his hockey career next year. When has this guy been healthy for more than 2 weeks without suffering a months long setback?

Plus in the world of Joffrey Lupul and skate allergies...

He gets different issues rather than one chronic one. That why he persists and why he gets more chances. Not sure how close he is to Lupul but that was a different time. Gotta buy him out. It would be funny if they did and KD picked him up for league minimum.

 

[nuck]

One Dubasite claimed we could get a positive return for Murray during the season and now claims it won't cost much to dump him this offseason. It is clear Dubas did not get enough from Dorion to justify the trade. Now Tre is left holding the bag.

A few people suggested he might be tradeable but all that cash owed is the killer. With his injury history many clubs might look at him as too fragile to dedicate a roster spot to so he forces them to carry 3 goalies. Between that and the money the possible takers would be few and far between. Until he is bought out of course.

 

[Byron Bitz]

like $600 k this year and $2 million next

Not interested in the 2 mill penalty next year. Would rather just ride out Murray’s contract, carry 3 goalies until he gets injured then LTIR him to create space to make moves at the deadline.

 

[Nineteen67]

One Dubasite claimed we could get a positive return for Murray during the season and now claims it won't cost much to dump him this offseason. It is clear Dubas did not get enough from Dorion to justify the trade. Now Tre is left holding the bag.

There was never a moment when acquiring him was a good move.

The best option is to keep him and LTIR when he gets injured, unless tearing it completely to ground and trading Marner, Matthews and Nylander.

 

[Nineteen67]

Not interested in the 2 mill penalty next year. Would rather just ride out Murray’s contract, carry 3 goalies until he gets injured then LTIR him to create space to make moves at the deadline.

Why carry three goalies?

 

[Byron Bitz]

Why carry three goalies?

Injuries

 

[Nineteen67]

Injuries

They have a bunch of goalies in the minors

 

[Cap'n Flavour]

Not interested in the 2 mill penalty next year. Would rather just ride out Murray’s contract, carry 3 goalies until he gets injured then LTIR him to create space to make moves at the deadline.

I don't know why people keep posting this, there's no cap room to keep Murray and Woll, let alone Murray and Samsonov. Hell there's barely enough room to keep Samsonov and Woll, in all likelihood.

 

[NinjaKick]

shocking

 

[Nineteen67]

I don't know why people keep posting this, there's no cap room to keep Murray and Woll, let alone Murray and Samsonov. Hell there's barely enough room to keep Samsonov and Woll, in all likelihood.

Does Woll need to clear waivers? He should be the starter and walk away from Samsonov.