The Toronto Maple Leafs formed a formidable goaltending duo with the acquisition of Matt Murray from the Ottawa Senators and the signing of Ilya Samsonov as a free agent.
The 28-year-old, Murray was acquired from the Senators on July 11 in exchange for a third-round pick in the 2023 NHL Draft and a seventh-round pick in the 2024 NHL Draft for future considerations.
Samsonov joined the Maple Leafs as an unrestricted free agent after playing with Vitek Vanecek for the Washington Capitals. He was given chances to become the Capitals’ No. 1 goalie but never took them.
Murray, Samsonov’s 2021-22 stats
Murray has not been the same since he helped the Penguins win the Stanley Cup in 2016 and 2017. He had a difficult 2021-22 season. It began with an injury in his second start, continued with a brief stint in the AHL in late November, and ended with him missing most of March and all of April due to an upper-body injury.
The 28-old-Murray has played in 246 regular-season games for the Ottawa Senators from 2020-21 to 2021-22 and the Pittsburgh Penguins from 2015-16 to 2019-2020. He posted a record of 132-78-22, with a 2.77 goals-against average, a.911 save percentage, and 14 shutouts.
Murray made just 20 starts for the Senators in his second season, going 5-12-2 with a 3.05 goals-against average and a .906 save percentage. He finished the season with a six-game losing streak and 13 goals allowed in his final two starts. His last game was on March 5, after which he was out for the rest of the season.
Murray finished with a goal-saving average above the expected per 60 (GSAE/60) rate of 0.163, ranking 18th in the league among goalies who played at least ten games. His 0.53 WAR (Wins Above Replacement) ranked him 24th in the league.
Murray was a member of Team North America at the 2016 World Cup of Hockey and helped Canada win a silver medal at the 2019 IIHF World Championships. Murray was chosen by the Pittsburgh Penguins in the third round (83rd overall) of the 2012 NHL Draft.
The 25-year-old Samsonov appeared in 44 games for the Capitals last season, including 39 starts, and posted a .896 save percentage despite a 23-12-5 record. He was a Capitals first-round pick in 2015 and has been a regular in the team’s net for three seasons.
Samsonov finished the season with a -2.01 WAR, ranking 62nd in the NHL among goaltenders who appeared in at least ten games. His -0.307 GSAE/60 placed him 55th.
Murray, Samsonov-tandem
Toronto general manager Kyle Dubas signed Samsonov to a one-year, $1.8-million contract less than 48 hours after acquiring Matt Murray from Ottawa.
“They’re both young enough that we’ll give them the runway here and see if they can become the long-term solution in net,” Dubas said.
The two goalies were acquired after Toronto traded an underperforming Petr Mrazek to the Chicago Blackhawks, allowing No. 1 option Jack Campbell to enter free agency.
Toronto waived Mrazek’s $3.8-million salary before acquiring Murray, 28, from Ottawa in a trade in which the Senators will pay 25 percent of Murray’s $6.25-million salary over the next two seasons.
Last season, Toronto had the league’s sixth-best expected goals against a rating of 230.21, but their goaltending had a save percentage of .904, 22nd in the league or the worst among all playoff teams other than the Capitals.