Sportsnet: Nick Kypreos on the win-win-win Matt Murray to the LTIR and what else could be next for the Toronto Maple Leafs.
** NHLRumors.com transcription
Ken Reid: “Okay Nick, let’s talk Robidas Island. What do you make of this Matt Murray move?”
Kypreos: “Well, a little surprising seeing how he made it to backing up in the playoffs last year and according to the exit meetings he got a clean bill of health to leave. So, a little surprised from my end.
But when you start thinking about the fact Ken that we’re going into August. They couldn’t find a trade partner for Matt Murray. Matt Murray also didn’t want to sit there and contemplate the thought that maybe the Leafs could buy him out if he didn’t chose this path.
And at the end of the day Ken, we know it’s first and foremost about the money, and a move like this also protects his $8 million base salary. Yes, you heard it correctly. He’s scheduled to make $8 million on his base salary, so he did not want this bought out as well.
So this is a move that actually is a win-win-win for three parties. Matt Murray gets to protect his money. The Leafs get to get the complete cap hit off their books and the fans get to get their salary cap alleviated and don’t have to watch necessarily the Leafs panic, you know, with two months to go before the first preseason game.
Reid: “So (Ilya) Samsonov and Joseph Woll going into the season. What do you think of that for the Leafs.
Kypreos: “It’s, it’s, it is what it is. And ah, where you are in the thinking of how important is a goaltender and does he need to be great or does he need to make the saves that he’s suppose to. The emphasis now around the league is less on the goalies than it has been in the past.
So I think the Leafs are comfortable with Samsonov on a one-year deal to go out and prove himself and they’re very high on Joseph Woll. So I think the Leafs are comfortable going into training camp with these two guys.
Reid: “Leafs are still over the cap. What’s next for the buds?”
Kypreos: “Well, is there a chance to fix the blue line. And what does that mean? When you look at certain players like T.J. Brodie with one year left on his deal. Is there a chance to move that money out and get a bigger defenseman in return? Maybe younger, remains to be seen.
But they’re going to have to shave somewhere. Like you said, Matt Murray helps a lot. Cleans up a lot for them but there is still the fact that they’re a couple million over and they’re going to have to tighten it up someway shape or form between now and October.