Former Ottawa Senators Goalie Matt Murray Returns to Action Just in Time for Toronto Playoffs

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The Ottawa Senators are paying former goalie Matt Murray over $1.5 million to not play hockey for them this season, so when he pops back up in the headlines, it’s only natural to be curious about what he’s up to. And even though the Sens have been eliminated, Murray may well find himself as part of the springtime playoff viewing plans for Sens fans.

Murray has been just as injury-prone in Toronto as he was in Ottawa but now in the dying days of the regular season, he’s back in action.

The 29-year-old is a two-time Stanley Cup winner and hasn’t played since undergoing bilateral hip surgery in October. That’s on the fast end of the healing process, which usually takes 6-8 months.

The Leafs assigned Murray to the AHL’s Toronto Marlies on a conditioning stint. He started in goal on Saturday night and gave up five goals on 27 shots in the Marlies’ 6-5 shootout victory in Syracuse on Saturday. That’s created speculation that he might help lead the Marlies into the playoffs or be a long-shot option for the Leafs if things really went sideways for them in goal in their playoffs.

If the AHL playoffs started today (they don’t), and Murray stayed with the Marlies, he’d be facing his former team, the Belleville Senators, in round one. And if Murray ends up in the Leafs’ net, well, Ottawa fans would surely find both scenarios quite compelling.

Proof that NHL hockey is one degree of separation, former Sens GM Pierre Dorion acquired Murray from Pittsburgh in 2020 for a second round pick and winger Jonathan Gruden. Gruden is the son of John Gruden, the Marlies’ current head coach and one of the front-runners to be the next head coach of the Ottawa Senators.

Murray is in the final days of a four-year, $25 million contract he signed with the Senators, playing in just 73 NHL games total over the life of the deal.