The Maple Leafs’ old goaltending gamble is still playing out elsewhere

Although the Maple Leafs have three solid goaltenders in Joseph Woll, Anthony Stolarz, and Dennis Hildeby (not to mention future star Artur Akhtyamov), there are still questions about whether or not the team has enough reliable goaltending to weather a playoff storm.

Heck, there are questions about whether or not the current contingent can handle the regular seasons workload as a whole and as injury concerns mount for both Woll and Stolarz it feels like they could use a stable veteran to hold things down.

Well, they could have had one but decided to let him go and while he isn't blowing anyone away -- he'd still be a great option.

Toronto made the choice to let goaltender Matt Murray go after being a solid backup option for a couple of years and he joined former assistant coach Lane Lambert in Seattle with the Kraken.

Though he has only appeared in five games and has a less than stellar record at 0-2-1, he has a .922 SV% and a 2.21 GAA. He's just been unlucky and had a lack of help in front of him.

Right now, the Maple Leafs could have used that type of stability and while Stolarz looked great in the game leading up to the Olympics, who knows what he and Woll are going to offer the rest of the way.

Meanwhile, Murray has proven time and time again to be a guy who cannot only handle a heavy workload, but do so with success.

His time with Toronto was solid as he went 28-15-9 with a 3.05 GAA and .901 SV% and managed to help several times during injury concerns.

Whenever the team needed him he stepped up and often came in on short notice and made sure they had a fighting chance especially during the 2023-24 season.

Dennis Hildeby has been a good third-string option and is very likely going to be a factor in the next couple of years, but with the Maple Leafs looking to make a playoff push, having a veteran like Murray around who could be a consistent stop-gap option might have been a saving grace.

For now, Murray is going to be doing his best to help the Kraken this postseason, and with a tight Pacific Division, a hot streak could end up getting them into the playoffs.

For a two-time Stanley Cup winner who has been known to put the team on his back, it sounds like Seattle might have an ace up their sleeve that the Maple Leafs surely miss.

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