Goalie move in Toronto could lead to return of familiar face

On Tuesday, the Toronto Maple Leafs announced that goalie Anthony Stolarz will undergo surgery to remove a loose body in his knee and will miss four-to-six weeks of action.

Stolarz suffered the injury Thursday against the Anaheim Ducks, and was first deemed day-to-day before the team’s announcement.

While Joseph Woll is expected to handle the bulk of the starts, the Maple Leafs will have to stay on top of the game in between the pipes and Chris Johnston believes this could swing the door open to a familiar face in Toronto.

“ That would be Matt Murray [where it’s] been 625 days and counting since he made an appearance in the NHL during the regular season.

“It’s obviously disappointing news for Anthony Stolarz and the Leafs that Stolarz has a knee injury that’s going to keep him out four-to-six weeks, but the sense is that it’s going to open up an opportunity for Murray to at some point return to the Leafs’ crease.

“He missed all of last season after having hip surgery and he played a couple of games at the very end [of the season] in the AHL. He’s been down in the AHL this year and recently returned, from what was described to me, as a minor injury.

“The Leafs want to see him get a few more starts there. He’ll start Friday for the Marlies in Wilkes-Barre. Assuming everything goes well, everything is in place for Murray to get a chance to come back to the NHL after more than a year away.”

Through seven games this season in the AHL, Murray has three wins and a .919 save percentage.

The Maple Leafs have four games left before the holiday break, meaning goalie depth will be important before the second half of the season and while awaiting for Stolarz’s return.

Murray, who’s a two-time Stanley Cup Champion with the Pittsburgh Penguins, has struggled since coming to Toronto, though he could be back to his former championship days after getting over many injuries in past seasons.