Maple Leafs place Matt Murray on LTIR, recall Erik Källgren from Marlies
Matt Murray #MattMurray
The Toronto Maple Leafs have placed goaltender Matt Murray on long-term injured reserve with an adductor injury, the club announced Saturday afternoon.
In a corresponding move, the Maple Leafs recalled goaltender Erik Källgren from the American Hockey League’s Toronto Marlies on an emergency basis.
Murray is expected to miss a minimum of four weeks while recovering from the injury. Per PuckPedia, a player must be expected to miss at least 10 games and 24 days of action to be eligible for long-term injured reserve.
Murray made an early exit from the Maple Leafs’ skate on Saturday morning with apparent groin discomfort — ultimately revealed to be an issue with his adductors, a group of muscles in the hip used for bringing the thighs together.
Källgren is expected to serve as Ilya Samsonov’s backup for Saturday’s game against the Ottawa Senators at Scotiabank Arena. With Murray sidelined and the Maple Leafs already at 50 NHL contracts, Källgren might be Samsonov’s partner for a while.
Murray made his Maple Leafs debut in the club’s season-opening game against the Montreal Canadiens on Oct. 12, allowing four goals on 23 shots in a 4–3 loss. The 28-year-old goaltender posted a 5–12–2 record and a .906 save percentage in 20 games with the Ottawa Senators during the 2021–22 regular season.
Källgren, 26, appeared in 14 NHL games with the Maple Leafs in 2021–22, going 8–4–1 with an .888 save percentage. Samsonov, 25, was fantastic in the Maple Leafs’ 3–2 win over the Washington Capitals (his former team) on Thursday, stopping 24 of 26 shots.
In 247 career games with Pittsburgh, Ottawa, and Toronto over parts of eight NHL regular seasons, Murray has posted a 132–79–22 record and a .911 save percentage. He won the Stanley Cup with the Penguins in 2016 and 2017.
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