Maple Leafs assign Matt Murray to Marlies on LTIR conditioning loan

Matt Murray has been assigned by the Toronto Maple Leafs to the AHL’s Toronto Marlies for a LTIR conditioning loan, the organization announced Saturday morning.

Murray was placed on LTIR on July 26, 2023. The 29-year-old suffered a concussion last April during a game against the Detroit Red Wings and missed the remainder of the 2022-23 season.

Toronto announced Murray underwent bilateral hip surgery in October 2023, which would require him to miss the duration of the regular season. Murray returned to practice for the first time on Friday, and took shots in practice as recently as March 22.

“I just wake up every day and try to have a plan for what I want to do,” Murray said to The Athletic’s Jonas Siegel. “You’re gonna have ups and downs. You’re gonna have adversity. Injuries especially are part of the game. Sometimes, it can be hard to avoid.”

It’s unclear whether Murray will get any game action with the Marlies, as the organization has been cautious during his recovery.

Murray is slated to become an unrestricted free agent at the end of the season. He posted a 14-8-2 record with a .903 save percentage in 26 games during the 2022-23 campaign.

Ilya Samsonov, Joseph Woll and Martin Jones are ahead of Murray on the depth chart, but Murray’s return from LTIR allows him to become eligible to join the Maple Leafs’ playoff roster. It’s unlikely he’ll play in any playoff games, especially during this critical juncture of the Maple Leafs’ timeline, but it affords the team some further depth and flexibility. We’re not sure where his future lies but this is an indicator that Murray is ready to return to professional hockey, whether within the Maple Leafs organization or elsewhere next summer.

Murray was brought in, ostensibly because of his playoff success with the Pittsburgh Penguins where he won two Stanley Cups and now he’ll have another opportunity to contribute to another contender, one step at a time.