Sheldon Keefe reveals how he plans to deploy Matt Murray and Ilya Samsonov for the remainder of the preseason
The Leafs have completed their first two preseason matchups against the Ottawa Senators this weekend, with 5 preseason contests yet to play. During the first two outings, Keefe had Erik Kallgren and Ilya Samsonov each play 40 minutes of their respective games and had Dylan Ferguson and Keith Petruzzelli come in in relief for the final frame in each game. According to head coach Sheldon Keefe, however, 4 of the final 5 preseason games will not work that way.
Keefe spoke with the media following the Leafs' practice on Monday and it appears as though Murray will get just 40 minutes in his preseason Leafs debut on Wednesday against the Montreal Canadiens and then enter into a net share with Ilya Samsonov for the final four preseason games. The idea there is to get both Murray and Samsonov two games apiece for the full 60 minutes to get them going before the start of the season.
It will be interesting to see how Murray and Samsonov fair as a tandem. Many goaltenders in the NHL prefer to have the ability to string a few games together before getting a night off, as it allows them to get into a bit of a groove and become more comfortable. As we have already heard from Sheldon Keefe earlier in training camp, the plan for the Leafs is to utilize both goaltenders this season, especially at the start with a busy October schedule. The Leafs also stated that they're in no rush to identify a #1 goaltender this season and one may not emerge until the end of the year, with the playoffs looming.
