Some of the latest NHL trade rumors involve Toronto Maple Leafs goalie Matt Murray, Winnipeg Jets goalie Connor Hellebuyck, and Calgary Flames defenseman Noah Hanifin.
It’s been a busy NHL offseason so far. Now that the first weekend of free agency has come and gone, the free agent signings have slowed down a bit. UFAs will continue to sign throughout the summer. NHL teams will also continue to make trades to improve their rosters based on the needs of their organization.
Matt Murray of the Toronto Maple Leafs, Connor Hellebuyck of the Winnipeg Jets, and Noah Hanifin of the Calgary Flames are all names that have been a part of trade conversations. Murray, Hellebuyck, and Hanifin each have one year left on their current contracts. Hellebuyck and Hanifin have made it known that they don’t want to stay with their current team. Murray, on the other hand, is a trade candidate due to injuries and cap space.
Let’s get caught up on the latest with Murray, Hellebuyck, and Hanifin.
NHL trade rumors: Matt Murray trade is tricky
Matt Murray has been a possible trade candidate for a few weeks, but the Toronto Maple Leafs’ recent moves have increased the need to shed the goalie. The Maple Leafs are now in a position where they need salary cap relief following the signings of Max Domi, John Klingberg, and Tyler Bertuzzi. More salary cap struggles could be coming. The Maple Leafs have extended a qualifying offer to goalie Ilya Samsonov, but he has the ability to file for arbitration.
Following time with the Pittsburgh Penguins and the Ottawa Senators, Murray has only been with the Maple Leafs for one season, and it was a mixed bag. He started off the season well, but he was bitten by the injury bug again…and again…and again. In one season, he suffered from an abductor injury, an ankle injury, and a head injury. This is nothing new for Murray. When he’s healthy, he is serviceable. In 2022-23, Murray posted a .903 SV% in 26 games.
The Maple Leafs find themselves in a sticky situation here. Last offseason, the Senators tried to trade Murray to the Buffalo Sabres, but they’re on his 10-team no-trade list, and Murray declined to waive the clause. Toronto could run into a similar problem while trying to shed Murray. There are limited options for where they can send him.
If the Maple Leafs fail to trade Murray due to his lengthy no-trade list, he could be a candidate for a buyout. The Leafs will want to do everything they can to avoid that, though. A buyout would mean a $687,500 cap hit in year one and a $2 million cap hit in year two. Given Murray’s injury history, it will be tough to move him. Failing to trade Murray and resorting to the buyout route would be costly.