Matt Murray, Declared Healthy in Playoffs, Now on LTIR Ah Yes..While LTIR technically stands for "Long Term Injury Reserve" the truer name would be "Loophole This Is Ridiculous." Thoughts?

Just wait for the Oilers to put Campbell on LTIR as well.

I don't know how you can affirm with 100% certainty if a player is injured, especially with concussions, but this is best case scenario for the Leafs cap, and it means an extra 2.7M in Murray's bank compared to a buyout. I don't know what this means for his playing days though - taking a year off to bank LTIR money is all well and good if you're 37, but Murray isn't even 30. Saying 'Im not going to play next year', especially for a goalie, suggests Murray's career may be over. If he 'miraculously' suits up in the playoffs this season, this conversation will get spicy.

I think Jeff Carter is "injured" too!!!

I don't know how you can affirm with 100% certainty if a player is injured, especially with concussions, but this is best case scenario for the Leafs cap, and it means an extra 2.7M in Murray's bank compared to a buyout. I don't know what this means for his playing days though - taking a year off to bank LTIR money is all well and good if you're 37, but Murray isn't even 30. Saying 'Im not going to play next year', especially for a goalie, suggests Murray's career may be over. If he miraculously suits up in the playoffs this season, this conversation will get spicy.
- Bartacus

If I understand LTIR correctly, the player basically has to be on board with it. If he wasn't legit injured, why would he agree to it when his contract is up next year and he's done nothing to deserve another one? Any healthy player would be champing at the bit to prove themselves in a contract year.

Anybody who didn't call EXACTLY this when Murray was acquired must be new to this. Like, really REALLY new.

Matt Murray injured? C'mon man, Matt Murray is never injured, is he? Totally not believable.

If I understand LTIR correctly, the player basically has to be on board with it. If he wasn't legit injured, why would he agree to it when his contract is up next year and he's done nothing to deserve another one? Any healthy player would be champing at the bit to prove themselves in a contract year.
- Whipper

here you go Matt, your hurt ok

This is not a binary outcome. You aren't healthy or injured. No pro NHL player is ever 100% healthy. Matt Tkachuk was deemed "healthy" in the playoffs despite having a broken sternum. If that was in November then he's injured. But in the Cup Finals he's healthy. So it's not a stretch for any player to sign off saying they have chronic back pain or knee pain or shoulder pain or concussion symptoms. They likely went to Matt and said:

1) We waive you to the AHL. Ride the bus.
2) We buy you out and this is the money you collect.
3) You go on LTIR. Collect a full salary. Rest your body. Maybe we activate you late in the year and send you to the AHL for conditioning. Either way, if you want to keep playing, nobody is going to offer you a lucrative contract anyway. So next year you hopefully sign on with someone for cheap and try to rebuild your career.

He went along with #3. Not that complicated. But I guess for some they see this in binary. How can he be healthy then and injured now?

How did Ekblad pass his physical to play with a broken foot and (frank)ed up ligament in the cup finals? Murray being cleared to play in playoffs means (frank) all.

How did Weber play a full cup run only to decide he can't play anymore a few weeks later?

You complainers can suck a fat one. Players have the right to decide what their bodies can and can't do.

If you want the control to be taken away from the players then you also need to be okay with the NHL telling players in the playoffs they can not play when they are injured. Which would result in a large portion of the team needing to sit out.

Matt Murray injured? C'mon man, Matt Murray is never injured, is he? Totally not believable.
- Zezel

"Lol Murray is a walking bandaid, always injured. He will barely play any games for you"

Also said by the same person

"What injury? No way Murray is injured"

As someone with a history of multiple concussions ... its NOT a joke.

With his concussion history ... all it would take is 1 good one & he could be not with us anymore !!

He could be concussed & still sit there on the betch as a backup. As for play when he was in the playoffs ... maybe.

That said ... peaple dont realize the after affects a concussion causes. I would welcome anyone to go read about Tim Thomas's last season in Boston when he got a severe concussion mid season !! 1 think he divulges that while he was able to play in games while semi hazed from it ... he had no way of knowing where the team played next & was dependant on following his teammates to know where to go next. Even said that it took him at least a decade before he felt his mind was able to funtion " normally ".

Ek you didn't hear...Murray stubbed his toe on the coffee table this morning that's a season-ending injury hahaha

As someone with a history of multiple concussions ... its NOT a joke.

With his concussion history ... all it would take is 1 good one & he could be not with us anymore !!

He could be concussed & still sit there on the betch as a backup. As for play when he was in the playoffs ... maybe.

That said ... peaple dont realize the after affects a concussion causes. I would welcome anyone to go read about Tim Thomas's last season in Boston when he got a severe concussion mid season !! 1 think he divulges that while he was able to play in games while semi hazed from it ... he had no way of knowing where the team played next & was dependant on following his teammates to know where to go next. Even said that it took him at least a decade before he felt his mind was able to funtion " normally ".
- Terry3g

yes cause only leafs players get concussions

Nobody doubt its BS here, except leafs fans..

but its ok, all teams are doing it...

untill they change the rules, why not ?

The only question that needs to be asked here is… Is this within the rules of the CBA?

Yes, and ALL teams have used, abused and benefitted from this rule at some point.

The end. Move on.

"Lol Murray is a walking bandaid, always injured. He will barely play any games for you"

Also said by the same person

"What injury? No way Murray is injured"
- Santo_44

Funny innit

The only question that needs to be asked here is… Is this within the rules of the CBA?

Yes, and ALL teams have used, abused and benefitted from this rule at some point.

The end. Move on.
- As_I_See_It

Indeed, and with a hard cap you can expect any and all teams to use every possible tool at their disposal to remain competitive and cap compliant under the conditions.

This is not a binary outcome. You aren't healthy or injured. No pro NHL player is ever 100% healthy. Matt Tkachuk was deemed "healthy" in the playoffs despite having a broken sternum. If that was in November then he's injured. But in the Cup Finals he's healthy. So it's not a stretch for any player to sign off saying they have chronic back pain or knee pain or shoulder pain or concussion symptoms. They likely went to Matt and said:

1) We waive you to the AHL. Ride the bus.
2) We buy you out and this is the money you collect.
3) You go on LTIR. Collect a full salary. Rest your body. Maybe we activate you late in the year and send you to the AHL for conditioning. Either way, if you want to keep playing, nobody is going to offer you a lucrative contract anyway. So next year you hopefully sign on with someone for cheap and try to rebuild your career.

He went along with #3. Not that complicated. But I guess for some they see this in binary. How can he be healthy then and injured now?
- Cooleus

OMG…I’ve been saying this for weeks but this is the best I’ve seen it explained yet. Good on you mate! 👍🏾

He's a moody headcase hockey player, with two Stanley Cups who played for the Penguins in goal and who's never going to the HOF.......reminds me of Tom Barasso.

My only question is - when a player is on LTIR....is the team still paying them out of pocket but they don't count towards the cap? Or is an insurance company paying this bill. Because if it's the later....that's where the pressure on the NHL will come from. I get a leak in my roof and I get a team of actuaries and adjusters descending on my property to find when my roof was installed, who installed it, where do they and their mother's live and so on...

It's not Toronto or Murray's fault. It's the NHL that allows teams to ice teams in the PO that would be illegal in the RS. Until the NHL does something to change that it will continue to be done. Just happens to be the most hated team in NHL that did it now. Hopefully Murray is ok moving forward.

Ek you didn't hear...Murray stubbed his toe on the coffee table this morning that's a season-ending injury hahaha
- Boyzy

high ankle sprain after after getting out of a cab/uber

The only question that needs to be asked here is… Is this within the rules of the CBA?

Yes, and ALL teams have used, abused and benefitted from this rule at some point.

The end. Move on.
- As_I_See_It

The CBA gives the league the right to investigate these situations and they do. But if there’s a doctor saying he can’t play, that’s the end of the story. The league can look at the doc’s notes but they’re not going to overrule and insist that someone who might be injured has to play. That’s what happened with Kucherov and probably Stone.

As someone with a history of multiple concussions ... its NOT a joke.

With his concussion history ... all it would take is 1 good one & he could be not with us anymore !!

He could be concussed & still sit there on the betch as a backup. As for play when he was in the playoffs ... maybe.

That said ... peaple dont realize the after affects a concussion causes. I would welcome anyone to go read about Tim Thomas's last season in Boston when he got a severe concussion mid season !! 1 think he divulges that while he was able to play in games while semi hazed from it ... he had no way of knowing where the team played next & was dependant on following his teammates to know where to go next. Even said that it took him at least a decade before he felt his mind was able to funtion " normally ".
- Terry3g

The affects of multiple concussions couldn't have been explained any better, than the mess that was your comment. Well done.

I don't know how you can affirm with 100% certainty if a player is injured, especially with concussions, but this is best case scenario for the Leafs cap, and it means an extra 2.7M in Murray's bank compared to a buyout. I don't know what this means for his playing days though - taking a year off to bank LTIR money is all well and good if you're 37, but Murray isn't even 30. Saying 'Im not going to play next year', especially for a goalie, suggests Murray's career may be over. If he 'miraculously' suits up in the playoffs this season, this conversation will get spicy.
- Bartacus

Best case scenario lmfao. Could you come across more like a daft Homer.