Insider Trading: Stolarz injury could open door to Murray’s NHL return

Gino Reda joins TSN Hockey Insiders Chris Johnston and Pierre LeBrun to discuss the Toronto Maple Leafs’ goaltending situation, John Tavares' contract negotiations, the Buffalo Sabres’ tailspin and more on Insider Trading.

Gino Reda: Every injury creates an opportunity, that’s what any coach would tell you. An injury two years ago cost one [Toronto] Maple Leaf goaltender his job, but now another injury could swing that door back open again.

Chris Johnston: That would be Matt Murray [where it’s] been 625 days and counting since he made an appearance in the NHL during the regular season.

It’s obviously disappointing news for Anthony Stolarz and the Leafs that Stolarz has a knee injury that’s going to keep him out four-to-six weeks, but the sense is that it’s going to open up an opportunity for Murray to at some point return to the Leafs’ crease.

He missed all of last season after having hip surgery, and he played a couple of games at the very end [of the season] in the AHL. He’s been down in the AHL this year and recently returned, from what was described to me, as a minor injury. 

The Leafs want to see him get a few more starts there. He’ll start Friday for the Marlies in Wilkes-Barre. Assuming everything goes well, everything is in place for Murray to get a chance to come back to the NHL after more than a year away.

Pierre LeBrun: Another piece of business for the Maple Leafs, of course, is the ongoing dialogue between the Leafs and their former captain John Tavares, who is a pending unrestricted free agent on July 1. 

I don’t think anything is imminent at this point. I think part of that ongoing dialogue is that both sides want to see where the salary cap is headed.

We were at the Board of Governors meetings last week with Gino and we know there’s two possibilities. [The cap will rise to] $92.5 million next year or it will rise to a higher cap, and every dime counts for the Maple Leafs.

Contract comparables that I know have been talked about are [Ottawa Senators forward] Claude Giroux, who has a three-year, $19.5 million deal that he signed in July of 2022 and [Los Angeles Kings captain] Anze Kopitar, who signed a two-year extension at $7 million a year.

Those are contracts that I think are in the ballpark of what Tavares and the Leafs are talking about. 

However, one contract that I don’t think Tavares’ camp has brought up was Steven Stamkos at four years, $8 million a year. I think that Tavares aims to be lower than that if this gets done with Toronto at some point. 

They want to be fair and remain a Maple Leaf so both sides, mutually, would like to get something done at some point before July 1.

Gino Reda: The Christmas trade freeze will kick into effect at midnight on Thursday. After a couple of disappointing months, we know that the [Vancouver] Canucks are going to be buyers, but what are we starting to get a better idea of what they could be looking to buy?

Pierre LeBrun: Judging from what we’re hearing from league sources across the NHL, the Canucks are making their calls and have watched enough games from other teams to identify specific needs.

One is a top four defenceman, which is hardly surprising when you consider the impact of the injury to Filip Hronek. It’s been massive. He will be back before the end of the season, but the Canucks would still like to go out and add another top four defenceman if possible.

The other need is going out and added a winger.

The one thing to remember during the Jim Rutherford/Patrik Allvin administration is that they don’t like waiting for the trade deadline on March 7. Last year, they traded for [now-Boston Bruins centre] Elias Lindholm on January 31st.

We also know Rutherford’s history with the Carolina Hurricanes and Pittsburgh Penguins and Allvin seems to want to carry on that tradition.

Gino Reda: The [Buffalo] Sabres are in a brutal tailspin, winless in their last 10 and are second-to-last place in the Eastern Conference. It was so bad that owner Terry Pegula travelled to Montreal to speak to the team today.

What did Pegula have to say to his team?

Chris Johnston: He tried clear the air, that’s my understanding of what happened. I think that the idea was to show support, show that he cares, and deliver a message [that says] the solution is inside these walls.

Don’t be waiting for a change, don’t be looking over your shoulder. Ignore hits, like this one, and newspaper clippings alike because they have to solve it there. That’s because it’s a short-term view.

You mentioned the holiday roster freeze is going to kick in here shortly, but that doesn’t mean the Sabres are out of trade talks. 

My impression from teams around the league is that the Sabres have been pretty active and having those discussions. The message they’re sending out is that if a team wants one of their best players or best young players, they want one of theirs back.

It’s not going to be a fire sale or anything like that.

Gino Reda: While we could have guessed the Sabres were going to struggle, I don’t think anyone expected to see what we’re seeing from the [New York] Rangers right now. 

[Head coach] Peter Laviolette tried to make an example of [forward] Kaapo Kakko over the weekend and not surprisingly, he wasn’t very happy about it.

Chris Johnston: Well, I’m certainly not surprised the player wasn’t happy. He’s been scratched a lot over the years, including last year’s playoffs. But what might be surprising was how open he was with his displeasure with the media in New York on this day.

He basically said that it’s easy to take a young guy out of the lineup. I don’t think I’ve been the worst player.

Given the history here and the fact that the Rangers have gauged the market on this player in the past, I think it’s a sign of how frustrated he is getting and might be open to a change of scenery in the future.

This is a situation to watch because Kakko is still just 23 years old, has all the promise that made him a top pick a couple of years ago, and a player that I think could be on the move, probably on the other side of the roster freeze with that so close now.