TSN: Darren Dreger on That’s Hockey on if the Toronto Maple Leafs should be looking for a goaltender after the early season injuries to Matt Murray and Ilya Samsonov.
** NHLRumors.com transcription
“Well is looks a little more optimistic as we begin the week as it did coming out of the weekend. As we reported in the pregame of the Leafs game night. Samsonov had a scan, an MRI on the leg, and the news sounds more positive than maybe what was even expected.
So he’s expected to maybe be gone for maybe 10 days to two weeks. Then beyond that, you’ve got Matt Murray. Again, Sheldon Keefe acknowledging he’s expected to get back on the ice this week. Could he be available to the Toronto Maple Leafs as early as the weekend?
So look, it’s not necessarily a crisis. It’s not a perfect scenario. Although the way Erik Kallgrenn played night against the Carolina Hurricanes, that at least proves that what they have within the system, the Toronto Maple Leafs can help them on a short-term basis.
But if it goes beyond 10 day, two weeks, for Ilya Samsonov, we might be singing a different tune here.”
Jeff O’Neil when asked what the guys in the room will be saying after management made the risky offseason acquisitions of Murray and Samsonov, and they look around the room and say, ‘we don’t have an NHL goaltender right now.’ How worried are they?
“You’re obviously concerned Gino. You’re talking about a team, they’ve all talked about it, We’ve known what they’ve done in the past in the playoffs, and they’re trying to get over that hump.
And you’re scrambling to find goaltenders that have NHL experience. And you know short-term it could probably work out and you’re going to get through it but long-term they’re thinking, ‘it must be nice to have a bonafide veteran NHL goaltender who’s not injury prone and we can all worry about our business.’
I’m not going to lie, it’s a distraction. There’s not doubt about it.”