Brad Treliving reportedly has had a major change of heart on the future of Matt Murray

PUBLICATION

Josh tupper
July 4, 2023 (4:17 PM)

SHARE THIS STORY

Last week the Toronto Maple Leafs were expected to place Matt Murray on unconditional waivers for purposes of buying out his contract. Ultimately that never happened and fans were shocked when Brad Treliving shared that the Leafs planned on retaining Matt Murray and had interest in running three goaltenders next year.

However after a very successful first couple days of free agency it appears Treliving has had a chance of heart. Now it appears that the Maple Leafs will look to go an alternative route with Murray and his contract.

NHL Insider Chris Johnston shared the following:

The GM has said his roster issues can't all be fixed in a day, and he's still got plenty of work ahead this summer in concert with master capologist Brandon Pridham. The Leafs currently sit above the NHL's $83.5-million ceiling and are now looking to unload goaltender Matt Murray and his $4.69-million cap hit.

They're on the hunt for trade options, but they have a Plan B in their back pocket if something palatable fails to materialize. Teams that have a player go to salary arbitration gain a second buyout window following the hearing, and it appears likely that goaltender Ilya Samsonov will be taking Toronto to arb later this summer.

The Maple Leafs would certainly prefer to trade Murray and even if they were forced to retain salary this year it would save them for a 2 million dollar cap penalty next season.