Veteran Matt Murray Officially Returns to the Ice for Toronto

The Toronto Maple Leafs have had their ups and downs in net, but now the return of Matt Murray could change things entirely for this team.

It was just six months ago that veteran goaltender Matt Murray underwent hip surgery, and now, he's on the verge of a return to the Toronto Maple Leafs. On Friday, he was officially spotted on the ice before the Maple Leafs practice, giving the team hope that he could return sometime in 2023-24.

In a later post on X, Mark Masters, a Maple Leafs reporter revealed that Murray left before practice officially got underway, so there's still plenty of time until he can make a full return, but this is a great sign going forward.

While the team have been solid in net in recent times with the trio of Martin Jones, Joseph Woll and Ilya Samsonov, Murray has Stanley Cup experience, winning two with the Pittsburgh Penguins, and would be the perfect No. 2 for the playoffs. When asked for an update a few months ago, GM Brad Treliving was cautiously optimistic about Murray's chances of a return in 2023-24, and with the recommended recovery time taking him to the middle of April, anything is on the table at the moment.

There's still many hurdles Murray would have to clear before a return is possible, but right now, things are looking up for the 29-year old who is in the final year of a four-year deal.

Source: Maple Leafs goaltender on the ice months after double hip surgery

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