Leafs activate Matt Murray from LTIR, re-assign two to the Marlies
According to CapFriendly, the Toronto Maple Leafs have activated starting goaltender Matt Murray from the LTIR list, while subsequently re-assigning forward Wayne Simmonds and goaltender Keith Petruzzelli to the Toronto Marlies.
Injuries have taken their toll on the Maple Leafs in the early stages of the season, a laundry list, in fact, that includes defensemen Jake Muzzin and T.J. Brodie and goaltenders Ilya Samsonov and Matt Murray. Through all of the injuries, the Leafs remain a respectable 8-5-3 on the season, which is good for 2nd in the Atlantic Division behind only the venerable Boston Bruins.
Murray was the starting goaltender for the season opener against the Montreal Canadiens, but lost 4-3 on a late regulation winner, and then fell to an adductor injury that kept him sidelined for a month. Ilya Samsonov took the brunt of the work in his absence as he has posted a 6-2-0 record with a .921 SV% and a 2.23 GAA in Murray's absence.
After Samsonov hurt his knee, Erik Kallgren was then thrust into taking over the goaltending duties as he has appeared in 8 games, posting a 2-2-3 record with somewhat pedestrian peripherals, a .893 SV% and 2.86 GAA.
The Leafs will welcome back Matt Murray with open arms, hoping that he can stake his claim as the team's number one goaltender. Wayne Simmonds has played in 4 games with the Leafs this season adding an assist while averaging 7:29 TOI. At this point, as unfortunate as it may be, the veteran will be nothing more than a depth call-up unless the Leafs can find a dance partner with which to complete a trade.
CapFriendly has indicated that these moves have an LTIR relief of $5.63 million, LTIR used is 3.46 million, and LTIR cap space is at 2.17 million.
