<p>According to Sportsnet&#8217;s Elliotte Friedman, the Toronto Maple Leafs have called up goaltender Matt Murray to start vs. the Buffalo Sabres on Friday. This would be Murray&#8217;s first NHL start since April 2, 2023.</p>
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<p lang="en" dir="ltr">Sounds like it is Matt Murray time in Toronto. Readying to make his first NHL appearance since April 2023</p>
<p>&mdash; Elliotte Friedman (@FriedgeHNIC) <a href="https://twitter.com/FriedgeHNIC/status/1869811995920539801?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 19, 2024</a></p></blockquote>
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<p>The Leafs have a back-to-back this weekend with the Buffalo Sabres on Friday and the New York Islanders on Saturday. There are plenty more upcoming in the weeks ahead so there is a real chance Murray will get into a few more games really soon.</p>
<p>This comes <a href="https://theleafsnation.com/news/marlies-corner-matt-murray-records-a-shutout-fraser-minten-scores-in-his-first-game-back" target="_blank" rel="noopener">less than 24 hours after he recorded a shutout</a> in the Toronto Marlies&#8217; 3-0 win over the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins on Wednesday, stopping all 27 shots he faced. Reports emerged this week that the pathway for Murray&#8217;s return to the NHL has been opened with Anthony Stolarz expected to miss at least a month of action due to a procedure done on his knee. The impressive showing against the Penguins combined with Dennis Hildeby&#8217;s overall inexperience has resulted in Murray taking over as the backup behind Joseph Woll.</p>
<p>“That’s encouraging,” <a class="text-accent" href="https://x.com/lukefoxjukebox/status/1869589443801399413" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">Leafs head coach Craig Berube said after the Leafs game against the Stars</a>. “That’s great for him and the Marlies. And this guy’s got a lot of experience, and he’s won. So, we’re gonna look at everything and make some decisions.”</p>
<p>Murray did not play for the Leafs during the 2023-24 season after an offseason bilateral hip surgery <a href="https://theleafsnation.com/news/matt-murray-will-be-out-six-to-eight-months-after-hip-surgery" target="_blank" rel="noopener">took him out of commission for six months</a>. He could only appear in three AHL games with the Marlies <a href="https://theleafsnation.com/news/maple-leafs-matt-murray-marlies-ltir-conditioning-loan" target="_blank" rel="noopener">on an LTIR conditioning loan</a> where he went 1-2-0 while recording a .846 save percentage and a 4.06 GAA.</p>
<p>The Leafs opted to re-sign him to <a href="https://theleafsnation.com/news/report-matt-murray-maple-leafs-to-become-3rd-string-goalie" target="_blank" rel="noopener">a one-year extension in the offseason at a cap hit of $875,000</a> which he viewed as a chance to prove he can stay healthy and resume his NHL career.</p>
<p>“This year is just about proving that I can stay healthy and that I got a nice little reset with the surgery. So proving that I stay healthy and still get the job done, that’s why I took a one-year deal. It’s kind of like a prove-it deal to see what I can do,” <a class="text-accent" href="https://theleafsnation.com/news/matt-murray-is-ready-to-prove-he-can-stay-healthy-and-produce" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Murray said in August</a>. “And if I can do both of those things, stay healthy and prove that I can still get the job done, I would imagine maybe a couple opportunities pop up next year. I’m taking things one year at a time.”</p>
<p>Suffice it to say Murray has proven he has returned to form as he has a record of 4-1-2 along with an incredible 1.85 GAA and a .931 SV% which is good enough for sixth in the AHL. Now he has an opportunity to do what he set out to do and prove he still has plenty left in the tank.</p>
<p>In his debut season with the Maple Leafs during the 2022-23 campagin, he got into 26 games where he posted a record of 14-8-2, a .903 save percentage, a 3.01 GAA, and a shutout. He was initially brought in via a trade with the Senators in the summer of 2022 that also saw the Leafs get two draft picks and 25 percent of his cap hit retrained in exchange for future considerations.</p>
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According to Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman, the Toronto Maple Leafs have called up goaltender Matt Murray to start vs. the Buffalo Sabres on Friday. This would be Murray's first NHL start since April 2, 2023.
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https://twitter.com/FriedgeHNIC/status/1869811995920539801

The Leafs have a back-to-back this weekend with the Buffalo Sabres on Friday and the New York Islanders on Saturday. There are plenty more upcoming in the weeks ahead so there is a real chance Murray will get into a few more games really soon.

This comes <a href="https://theleafsnation.com/news/marlies-corner-matt-murray-records-a-shutout-fraser-minten-scores-in-his-first-game-back" target="_blank" rel="noopener">less than 24 hours after he recorded a shutout</a> in the Toronto Marlies' 3-0 win over the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins on Wednesday, stopping all 27 shots he faced. Reports emerged this week that the pathway for Murray's return to the NHL has been opened with Anthony Stolarz expected to miss at least a month of action due to a procedure done on his knee. The impressive showing against the Penguins combined with Dennis Hildeby's overall inexperience has resulted in Murray taking over as the backup behind Joseph Woll.

“That’s encouraging,” <a class="text-accent" href="https://x.com/lukefoxjukebox/status/1869589443801399413" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">Leafs head coach Craig Berube said after the Leafs game against the Stars</a>. “That’s great for him and the Marlies. And this guy’s got a lot of experience, and he’s won. So, we’re gonna look at everything and make some decisions.”

Murray did not play for the Leafs during the 2023-24 season after an offseason bilateral hip surgery <a href="https://theleafsnation.com/news/matt-murray-will-be-out-six-to-eight-months-after-hip-surgery" target="_blank" rel="noopener">took him out of commission for six months</a>. He could only appear in three AHL games with the Marlies <a href="https://theleafsnation.com/news/maple-leafs-matt-murray-marlies-ltir-conditioning-loan" target="_blank" rel="noopener">on an LTIR conditioning loan</a> where he went 1-2-0 while recording a .846 save percentage and a 4.06 GAA.

The Leafs opted to re-sign him to <a href="https://theleafsnation.com/news/report-matt-murray-maple-leafs-to-become-3rd-string-goalie" target="_blank" rel="noopener">a one-year extension in the offseason at a cap hit of $875,000</a> which he viewed as a chance to prove he can stay healthy and resume his NHL career.

“This year is just about proving that I can stay healthy and that I got a nice little reset with the surgery. So proving that I stay healthy and still get the job done, that’s why I took a one-year deal. It’s kind of like a prove-it deal to see what I can do,” <a class="text-accent" href="https://theleafsnation.com/news/matt-murray-is-ready-to-prove-he-can-stay-healthy-and-produce" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Murray said in August</a>. “And if I can do both of those things, stay healthy and prove that I can still get the job done, I would imagine maybe a couple opportunities pop up next year. I’m taking things one year at a time.”

Suffice it to say Murray has proven he has returned to form as he has a record of 4-1-2 along with an incredible 1.85 GAA and a .931 SV% which is good enough for sixth in the AHL. Now he has an opportunity to do what he set out to do and prove he still has plenty left in the tank.

In his debut season with the Maple Leafs during the 2022-23 campagin, he got into 26 games where he posted a record of 14-8-2, a .903 save percentage, a 3.01 GAA, and a shutout. He was initially brought in via a trade with the Senators in the summer of 2022 that also saw the Leafs get two draft picks and 25 percent of his cap hit retrained in exchange for future considerations.

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