Marlies goalie Matt Murray exits game with undisclosed injury

Toronto Marlies goalie Matt Murray did not return to their game against the Laval Rocket due to an undisclosed injury, the team confirmed on Saturday.

G Matt Murray will not return to today’s game against Laval. G Dennis Hildeby is in net for Toronto.

— Marlies PR (@AHLMarliesPR) December 7, 2024

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The exact reason for his absence was not provided, but The Hockey News’ Nick Barden noted that Murray left the contest late in the first period after making a save off a point shot from Logan Mailloux. After making the stop, Murray was seen on the broadcast reaching toward his left leg while appearing to move around gingerly for the rest of the shift. He quietly left the ice during the commercial break and was not seen on the bench for the rest of the game, forcing Dennis Hildeby to fill in.

He had stopped eight of nine shots in 15:28 of ice time before he left the contest.

“I have not heard anything, no,” Marlies head coach John Gruden said after the game. “He tweaked something and unfortunately he had to come out of the game. Hopefully it’s nothing too serious.”

This could be a potentially major setback for Murray, who worked tirelessly for over a year to work his back to full strength from bilateral hip surgery. That injury resulted in him being sidelined for the majority of the 2023-24 season save for three AHL games with the Marlies, where he went 1-2-0 in that span while recording a .846 save percentage and a 4.06 GAA. The reliance and progress made in his recovery helped earn him a one-year extension with the Leafs in the offseason at $875K.

Murray has not appeared in an NHL game since April 2, 2023, when he suffered a concussion in a game against the Detroit Red Wings. He was hoping this extension would offer him a chance at a rest from the hip surgery while placing himself in position to get the nod should the Leafs run into injuries.

“This year is just about proving that I can stay healthy and that I got a nice little reset with the surgery. So proving that I stay healthy and still get the job done, that’s why I took a one-year deal. It’s kind of like a prove-it deal to see what I can do,” Murray said in August. “And if I can do both of those things, stay healthy and prove that I can still get the job done, I would imagine maybe a couple opportunities pop up next year. I’m taking things one year at a time.”

While this injury halts his journey back to the NHL, the Leafs are not ready to give up on him just yet. They included a $100,000 bonus in Murray’s contract, which made it less alluring for opposing teams to claim him when he went on waivers before the start of the regular season. During the preseason, he showed promise with his movements, play, and tracking which provided hope that he could become a legitimate third-string option before Hildeby got the edge as a replacement when Joseph Woll suffered an injury before opening night.

Before this undisclosed ailment, Murray had gone 2-1-2 while posting a .914 save percentage and a 2.35 GAA.