NHL Rumors: Maple Leafs working on Matt Murray trade, and Evander Kane speaking with other teams
Anthony Scultore
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The Toronto Maple Leafs are apparently closing in on a deal for goalie Matt Murray of the Ottawa Senators.
This would be quite a turn of events after he was placed on waivers last November and sent to Ottawa’s AHL affiliate.
“Honestly, I wasn’t looking at it as a reset, looking at it as keep going, try to keep building off positives and try to keep hardening up my game,” Murray said about being sent down. “That’s what I feel like I did. Bit choppy with all the COVID stuff going on, but that’s out of everybody’s hands. So tried to make the most out of it.”
Now Murray could find himself on one of the top contenders in the NHL.
Toronto Maple Leafs working on Matt Murray trade
Murray, 28, signed a 4 year extension worth $6.25 after he was acquired from the Penguins in the 2020-21 season. In 47 games with the Senators, he has a 15-25-3 record with a GAA of 3.23 and SV% of just .899.
So why the interest? Well the Toronto Maple Leafs appear to be once again holding the bag on getting a quality NHL netminder that fits their cap. Last year’s starter Jack Campbell appears to be heading to free agency and Marc-Andre Fleury has opted to stay in Minnesota.
You can expect that the Senators will retain a significant portion of his cap hit which has two-years remaining to make this deal work.
Murray is a former 2x Stanley Cup champion, winning the title with the Pittsburgh Penguins in his rookie season (2015-16). He split the load with Marc-Andre Fleury for another Cup win in 2016-17.
For his career, Murray has a record of 132-78-22 with a 2.77 GAA and a .911 SV%.
Evander Kane talking with other teams
Kane, 30, had a big postseason with 13 goals and 17 points in in 15 games. That performance, along with a solid regular season of 39 points in 43 has him as an interesting UFA target.
During the 2021-22 campaign he was suspended for 21 games in September for violating the NHL’s COVID policy which eventually led to the San Jose Sharks terminating his contract and making him a free agent. Both sides are still awaiting a hearing if that termination did not violate CBA rules.
Meanwhile, Kane reportedly has a 4-year deal for around $4.5 million on the table from the Oilers. That appears to be too low and his agent Dan Milstein is looking to see if there’s anything better.
“We were granted permission to speak with other clubs,” Milstein told LeBrun on Monday. “While we are still hopeful to have a deal in place with Edmonton, we are starting the interview process with other clubs.”
Free agency opens at 12 PM ET on July 13.