Craig Berube's Remarks About Dennis Hildeby Have Big Implications for Matt Murray in Toronto
Maple Leafs goalie Dennis Hildeby's latest performance struck a chord with head coach Craig Berube, and the implications for Matt Murray are significant.
Last night, in the 2nd half of a back-to-back against the Philadelphia Flyers, Leafs rookie netminder Dennis Hildeby put forth his best performance of the season, stopping 30 of 32 shots en route to a 3-2 overtime win to extend the Leafs' Atlantic Division lead, now up 4 points on the Florida Panthers.
Hildeby was at the very top of his game in the win, making several big saves in some very important moments to help propel his team to the win. In the absence of Anthony Stolarz, the Leafs have had to count on Hildeby, as well as Matt Murray to help fill the void. With both picking up wins since his injury, they've done just that.
Following the victory over the Flyers last night, head coach Craig Berube was asked what he thought of Hildeby's performance, and his response made it very clear that Hildeby likely won't be going back down to the Marlies anytime soon.
Prior to yesterday, there was plenty of speculation that perhaps Matt Murray would be recalled by the Leafs for the start against Philly, so when that didn't happen, it was clear that it was a bit of a test for Hildeby to see if he could elevate his game and help the Maple Leafs while Anthony Stolarz is sidelined. It's safe to say that he has passed that test.
Naturally, with Craig Berube being so complementary of Hildeby last night, we can probably assume that Matt Murray's place within the organization will be with the Marlies for the foreseeable future, barring an injury to Hildeby or Woll, of course.
Murray has started a pair of games for the Maple Leafs this season, his first two NHL starts in nearly two years. Unfortunately, he was not outstanding in either showing, which has certainly played a role in his current standing with the organization.
Murray's shortcomings are through no real fault of his own, as his recovery from bi-lateral hip surgery was a grueling one that is tough to come back from.
At 30 years old, there's still hope that Murray can find his form again, but with how well Hildeby played against the Flyers, Murray may be left to find his stride in the American Hockey League for the time being.
Goaltending depth is important, so it's great that the Maple Leafs have a number of goalies that they can rely on to handle some of the NHL workload if it comes down to it.
Still, even with Hildeby and Murray able to shoulder some of the load at the NHL level, I'm sure everyone is counting down the days until Anthony Stolarz finally returns -- mostly because of how outstanding he's been in his first season as a Maple Leaf.
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