Insider Predicts Leafs Goalie As Possible Buyout Option
The NHL off-season is in full swing with the NHL Draft and Free Agency just around the corner. The league's buyout window opened up on Friday and runs until June 30th.
Last year, seven players were bought out: Ottawa's Colin White and Michael Del Zotto, Chicago's Brett Connolly and Henrik Borgstrom, New Jersey's Janne Kuokkanen, Philadelphia's Oskar Lindblom and San Jose's Rudolfs Balcers.
Insider Chris Johnston has Toronto Maple Leafs goalie Matt Murray among the top of his buyout list for this offseason.
Toronto have three capable goalies on their roster when healthy in Ilya Samsonov, Joseph Woll, and Murray.
Murray was handed the starters keys last season but couldn't stay healthy. In his abesence, Samsonov took over the net posting the best numbers of his career, 27-10-5 record with a .919 save percentage and 2.33 GAA. Rookie goalie Joseph Woll was stellar when he got his chance to start, posting a 6-1-0 record with a .932 save percentage and 2.16 GAA.
With Murray being pushed down the depth chart to third string goalie. His future in blue and white looks grim but I'm not sure a buy out is the best option.
The first year (next season is pretty manageable. The Leafs can happily eat less than a league minimum salary to rid themselves of Matt Murray. The catch is the second year where the Leafs will be eating $2M of dead cap space just as Auston Matthews and William Nylander are potentially starting their new contracts. That's tough to eat even with a potentially nice boost to the salary cap.
I think the most likely scenario will be the trade route with Toronto adding a sweetener to rid themselves of Murray's cap hit. Whatever avenue general manager Brad Treliving decides, it's very doubtful that Matt Murray will be on the opening night roster in October.
| POLL | ||
What is the most likely outcome with Matt Murray and the Toronto Maple Leafs? | ||
| He is bought out | 72 | 38.3 % |
| A trade | 43 | 22.9 % |
| Plays out the final year of his deal | 28 | 14.9 % |
| Buried in the minors | 45 | 23.9 % |
| List of polls | ||
