Matt Murray's injury history: A timeline of moments that sidelined Maple Leafs goalie

Written by Compose.ly Staff

Unlucky, injury-prone or a combination of the two, Matt Murray’s seven-year NHL career has been riddled with ailments. This season started off no differently for the Maple Leafs netminder, who is set to make his return to the crease Tuesday night against his former team in Pittsburgh after missing weeks with his latest setback.

Here is a timeline of injuries suffered by the two-time Stanley Cup winner throughout his career.

2022

October: Abductor

Scheduled to start against the Ottawa Senators at home, Murray left the morning skate in discomfort. The club announced that the goalie would be out for at least four weeks due to an abductor injury.

March: Neck

Then with the Senators, Murray was ruled out of the season with a neck/head injury after a crease collision with teammate Nikita Zaitsev. He later confirmed he was suffering from post-concussion syndrome.

February: Undisclosed

Murray left with just under 10 minutes during a 5-2 loss to the St. Louis Blues after Oskar Sundqvist fell on him.

2021

November: COVID-19

Murray was added to the Senators’ COVID-19 protocol list. He was later demoted to regain his game with the Belleville Senators, Ottawa’s AHL affiliate.

October: Head

Murray was forced to leave in the second period against the visiting New York Rangers after getting kneed in the head by Chris Kreider. He was injured as Kreider crowded the crease and scored a goal.

October: Illness

Murray missed the first week of the campaign due to a non-Covid illness.

April: Lower body

He suffered a lower-body injury during the Senators’ 4-2 loss to the Canucks after stretching out to stop Vancouver forward Jake Virtanen on a rebound.

February: Upper body

Murray collided with Zaitsev in the second period of a 5-1 loss to the Winnipeg Jets.

2019

February: Upper body

Playing for the Pittsburgh Penguins, Murray missed practice due to an upper-body injury. Pittsburgh coach Mike Sullivan said Murray was evaluated and described the goalie as “day-to-day.”

2018

November: Lower body

Sullivan told reporters that Murray would be sidelined “longer-term” and had been dealing with a lower-body injury for two weeks.

October: Concussion

Murray was sidelined with a concussion suffered during practice.

February: Concussion

During practice, Murray took a puck to the head on a shot by defenseman Olli Maatta. He was evaluated, diagnosed with a concussion and was out for almost a month.

January: Personal reasons

Coach Sullivan informed the press that Murray had returned home to Ontario for “personal reasons.” The goalie returned to practice but then took an indefinite leave after the passing of his father. Murray returned to practice within a week.

2017

December: Upper body

Murray suffered an upper-body injury in a game against the Columbus Blue Jackets. He was examined and pulled from the following contest.

November: Lower body

He collided with Philadelphia Flyers forward Jakub Voracek and had to be helped off the ice. Murray missed six games due to a lower-body injury.

“He’s only going to get stronger, he’s only going to get more durable with each game that he plays, and I think he’ll be fine,” said coach Sullivan as Murray was declared week-to-week.

April: Lower body

Murray got injured while stopping pucks during the warm-ups for Game 1 of their first-round series versus the Columbus Blue Jackets. He returned after missing 11 games and helped the Penguins win their second straight Stanley Cup.

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