Insider Writes Off Maple Leafs' Goaltending Before the Season Even Begins
Photo credit: USA Today Sports
Daily FaceOff's Frank Seravalli believes there are still too many concerns about the Maple Leafs' goaltending, including a lack of experience and durability issues.
Matt Murray says he feels better than he ever has and is looking forward to getting back to the level of play he was capable of when he helped the Pittsburgh Penguins win back-to-back Stanley Cups in 2016 and 2017.
Murray missed all of last season as he recovered from hip surgery, and neither Joseph Woll nor Anthony Stolarz have played more than 30 games in a season. Contrary to other reports stating that Murray will play a larger role for the Leafs than fans think, Seravalli doesn't believe that will be the case due to his recent past.
"Probably not that ready," said Seravalli when asked how ready a team would be to pick up Murray off of waivers. "For one, this is a guy that hasn't played that much. Two, even when he did play previously, he was not up to an NHL caliber level... To me not really all that intriguing."
Seravalli then went on to say that although the crease is set for the Leafs with Anthony Stolarz and Woll, there are still lots of concerns surrounding Woll's inability to stay healthy.
"I think it's somewhat pretty settled with the Leafs with Stolarz and Joe Woll and they just want Woll to be healthy, which is the number one biggest priority for him in his career. He's got all the ability in the world, but one of the biggest abilities that he hasn't had in his arsenal is dependability and reliability."
With Murray's injury history and the fact that he has yet to play any meaningful NHL games for several years, as well as an abundance of waiver eligible goaltenders, the Leafs may finally be able to sneak a veteran through waivers. However, it will not be surprising to see him recalled in short order if Woll and Stolarz struggle out of the gate.
Of all the questions surrounding the Leafs this season, goaltending certainly remains the most important question. If Stolarz and Woll can do what management believes they can do, it could be a very exciting year in Toronto. However, if they falter, or fail to remain healthy, it could be another long year in the Ontario capital.
| POLL | ||
SEPTEMBRE 25 | 1335 ANSWERS Insider Writes Off Maple Leafs' Goaltending Before the Season Even Begins How many games will Murray play for the Leafs this season? | ||
| 1-10 | 660 | 49.4 % |
| 11-20 | 369 | 27.6 % |
| 21-30 | 93 | 7 % |
| None | 213 | 16 % |
| List of polls | ||
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