The goaltender position for the Toronto Maple Leafs is far from ideal.
The Toronto Maple Leafs were in need of pairing Auston Matthews with one of the world’s finest goalies, but it didn’t work out as Jusse Saros re-signed with the Nashville Predators, Jacob Markstrom moved to the Devils, and Linus Ullmark went to the Senators.
So, they decided to give the starting role to Joseph Woll and have Anthony Stolarz as his backup.
I’m not a fan of this decision because Woll has a history of injuries. However, the Leafs have some insurance by having one of the best third goalies available.
The Toronto Maple Leafs Have the Best 3rd String Goalie Possible in Matt Murray
Martin Jones was never a very strong starting goalie, and the Leafs’ success last season was a result of appalling mismanagement.
It was evident from training camp that the Leafs needed to upgrade from Ilya Samsonov last year, but they failed to do so, resulting in Martin Jones starting an unreasonable 22 games.
Brad Treliving owes both the team and the fans a major apology for allowing a third-string goalie to start 22 times, which forced the team to start the playoffs on the road. Although Jones had a decent run just after New Year’s when the Leafs faced weaker opponents, he struggled against stronger teams.
Jones ended the season with a mediocre .902 save percentage, and while that’s bad, it was the first time in five years he finished a season over .900. Jones is easily one of the worst goalies still playing in the NHL (all stats from hockeydb.com).
The only positive aspect of Jones is that he’s so bad no other team would claim him, which is a common issue for NHL teams trying to keep a third goalie on their roster.
This brings me to Matt Murray. At just 30 years old, he’s younger than Stolarz and has a Stanley Cup under his belt. If healthy, he could potentially be one of the best goalies in the world.
However, we can’t be certain of his potential because he’s never healthy. You have to go back to the 2018-19 season to find a year where he played over 40 games.
He does, however, have a career and two Stanley Cups.910 percentile for savings. If Murray stays healthy, his exceptional talent may make him the best goalkeeper on the Leafs squad.
Not only is he by far the finest third-string goalie in the NHL, but it’s unlikely that anybody will claim him off waivers due to his extreme injury propensity.