Brad Treliving Makes Urgent Move Involving Matt Murray During NHL Roster Freeze

It was a fantastic story out of Buffalo on Friday night as goaltender Matt Murray made his triumphant return to the NHL after nearly a year and a half wait due to issues with his hip.

He came away with the victory and has helped craft one of the NHL's best stories so far this season. However, on Saturday, the veteran goaltender found himself loaned back to the AHL with Dennis Hildeby called up.

But as much as it seems like a demotion for Murray, it's all part of Brad Treliving's game plan even though the NHL has stopped all transactions.

While the NHL has a roster freeze in place, there are still conditions based off injuries and certain timeframes that allow Murray to be sent down without consequence.

It's a swap of AHL goaltenders in order to give Joseph Woll a fresher backup for his game against the Islanders on Saturday as opposed to relying on a tired Murray if the Leafs starter struggles or gets injured.

It's a smart move for Treliving as Murray is clearly Toronto's third goaltender, and if he can provide the type of emergency damage control he's been known to do, it would pay huge dividends for the Maple Leafs in the future.

He stopped 24 shots against the Buffalo Sabres on Friday and while he looked a bit shaky at times, was still able to hold it down. Not bad for a goalie who hasn't played in over a year and a half.

Since coming over from Ottawa, Murray has put together a 15-8-2 with a 3.01 GAA and .902 SV%, but is also a two-time Stanley Cup winner with the Pittsburgh Penguins, and still offers the Leafs relative youth as he's still only 30 years old.

It's a great sign to see Murray not only healthy again but back in the win column, and the fact Brad Treliving is willing to go to such lengths to keep him around shows how much he means to the team.

It was the first victory of the season for Murray, in what are sure to be many more crucial ones down the line.