Maple Leafs provide first real update on Matt Murray in months.

You could forgive fans in Toronto for having forgotten that veteran goaltender Matt Murray was even a part of their favorite hockey team, that's how long Murray has been out of action for.

On Saturday however they received a reminder that Murray is indeed a Maple Leaf when the Maple Leafs released their first official announcement regarding Murray in quite some time. The Maple Leafs have announced that Murray will be sent to the American Hockey League where he will be joining the Toronto Marlies as part of a long term injured reserve conditioning loan.

The 29 year old netminder has been out of action since undergoing bilateral hip surgery and has not appeared in a single game during the 2023-24 National Hockey League regular season. Murray last played during the 2022-23 regular season where he appeared in just 26 games for the Maple Leafs due in large part to a host of different injuries.

Murray could still be a factor for the Maple Leafs come the Stanley Cup playoffs, although you have to believe that if the Leafs find themselves in a situation where they are thinking of using Murray it is probably not a good sign.

First and foremost though, Murray will have to prove that he can still play at a high level after such a long layoff and that is no doubt the intended purpose of this conditioning loan. Even if Murray never plays another game for the Maple Leafs, his contract will expire at the end of this season, it will be a chance for him to prove that he can still play at the NHL level before becoming a free agent this summer.