Former Penguins Cup Goalie Makes Triumphant Return to NHL

It’s been a while since goaltender Matt Murray helped lead the Pittsburgh Penguins to the Stanley Cup in back-to-back years as a rookie, both times actually, under NHL eligibility rules.

The road hasn’t exactly been smooth for Murray since those Cup wins in 2016 and 2017, thanks to injuries and uneven play. But he made his return to the NHL from injury Friday night when he started in net for the visiting Toronto Maple Leafs against the Buffalo Sabres. It was his first NHL game since April 2, 2023, his first start since March 25, 2023. He made 25 saves in a 6-3 win over the Sabres.

It might be hard to believe that Murray is 30 and not older. His has been quite a story since those two Cups with the Penguins.

He got hurt early in the 2017 postseason, meaning veteran Marc-Andre Fleury was starting for the Penguins. But as soon as Murray was healthy enough to return, he supplanted Fleury in the Eastern Confernece Final against Ottawa, even though Fleury had been playing well.

It turns out that the Penguins a couple months previously had struck a quiet deal to leave Fleury unprotected instead of Murray so that the Vegas Golden Knights could select Fleury in the 2017 expansion draft. Murray was 10 years younger and several million dollars cheaper than Fleury, who had been a first overall draft pick by the Penguins, was a longtime core player and made a sprawling, clinching save against Detroit in Game 7 of the 2009 Stanley Cup final. So Jim Rutherford, then the Penguins general manager, chose Murray over Fleury.

Fleury helped lead the Golden Knights to the Stanley Cup final in their inaugural season. He since has bounced to Chicago and now Minnesota. At 40 he has announced that this will be his final season in what is without doubt a Hall of Fame career. He is second all-time behind Martin Brodeur in career wins.

Murray, meanwhile, eventually lost the No. 1 Penguins job to Tristan Jarry as his injury and inconsistency issues began to surface. He has not played more than 38 games a season since 2018-19 with the Penguins. Murray was traded to Ottawa Oct. 7, 2020.

After two forgettable seasons with the Senators, he was shipped to Toronto July 11, 2020. In 2022-23, he was 14-8-2 with a .908 save percentage and 3.01

Murray didn’t play in the NHL last season after having bilateral hip surgery in October 2023. He returned last April to play three games in the American Hockey League.

Murray, who is 4-1-2 with one shutout, a 1.85 goals-against average, and a .931 save percentage in eight games in the AHL this season, was recalled by the Maple Leafs on Friday after goalie Anthony Stolarz had knee surgery.

“He still has a lot left in the tank and wants to continue playing,” Maple Leafs coach Craig Berube told reporters on Friday. “It takes a lot of hard work, and he’s already accomplished the ultimate goal a couple of times, but he still has a lot of fire inside. Wants to get back to the form he had once.”

“That was the goal all along, and I knew it was going to be a long road.”

Matt Murray speaks with @ShawnMcKenzieSN after getting a 24-save win in his first start since 2023. pic.twitter.com/srMc29X2Di

— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) December 21, 2024