LTIR for Maple Leafs' Matt Murray was necessary, not optional

Murray underwent a bilateral hip surgery in the Fall of 2023, and the timeframe for recovery was roughly 6-8 months; and while he spent the entire year on the LTIR he ended up shocking many when he was able to play a couple of games towards the end of the year for the Toronto Marlies.

Speaking on the Slangin' the Bizkit podcast, Murray spoke about that return and what it meant for him on his road to a full recovery:

The hip surgery was not a case of if, but when due to the fact that Murray has been dealing with a nagging injury for the majority of his career, which is surprising given his solid NHL career:

For his career, Murray has played in 272 games with a 146-86-24 record with a 2.79 GAA and a .910 save %. The two-time Stanley Cup winner also enjoyed stints in Ottawa and Pittsburgh (where he won those two cups and was drafted 83rd overall in 2012).

For his only season in Toronto, he compiled a 14-8-2 record with a pedestrian 3.01 GAA and .903 save %; no doubt due to the multitude of injuries the goalie has suffered. Let's hope he's back to a competing form and the Maple Leafs can have even more insurance between the pipes.

For the full interview:

Source: HockeyDB
Matt Murray Statistics