The Toronto Maple Leafs are placing goaltender Matt Murray on long-term injured reserve ahead of the 2023-24 season, the team announced Wednesday.

The Maple Leafs said Murray is out indefinitely but did not disclose the nature of the injury. This follows a season in which Murray dealt with a head injury and hip and ankle problems.

Murray, 29, played just 26 games with Toronto in 2022-23, finishing 14-8-2 with a one shutout, a 3.01 goals-against average and a .903 save percentage.

He carries a $4.69 million cap hit for the Maple Leafs in 2023-24, the final season of a four-year, $25 million deal he signed with the Ottawa Senators in 2020. Ottawa is on the books for another $1.56 million.

A two-time Stanley Cup champion with Pittsburgh, Murray is 146-86-24 with a .910 save percentage, a 2.79 GAA and 15 shutouts with the Penguins (2015-20), Senators (2020-22) and Maple Leafs.

Ilya Samsonov, Toronto’s starting goaltender, recently was awarded a one-year, $3.55 million deal in arbitration for the 2023-24 season.

–Field Level Media

Sebastian Aho received quite the birthday gift from the Carolina Hurricanes on Wednesday.

The forward celebrated his 26th birthday by signing an eight-year, $78 million contract extension that runs through the 2031-32 season.

Aho is entering the final season of a five-year, $42.295 million offer sheet he signed with the Montreal Canadiens in July 2019 that was matched by the Hurricanes.

“He wants to be a Hurricane player for life,” Carolina general manager Don Waddell said. “What happened four years ago now (with the offer sheet), that’s water under the bridge. We made a decision to match the offer sheet and that was the last time we talked about it and now after having him here for as many years as we have, he wants to be a Carolina Hurricane. He likes what we have going on and the coach (Rod Brind’Amour), so those are all positive things.”

Aho recorded a team-high 36 goals last season to go along with 31 assists in 75 games.

He has 468 points (218 goals, 250 assists) in 520 career games since being selected by the Hurricanes in the second round of the 2015 NHL Draft.

–Field Level Media

William “Rocky” Wirtz, the principal owner and chairman of the Chicago Blackhawks, died on Tuesday. He was 70.

The team did not reveal a cause of death.

Wirtz was the fifth principal owner in the Blackhawks’ storied history, inheriting the team from father Bill Wirtz upon the elder Wirtz’s death in 2007.

The Blackhawks won three Stanley Cups (2010, 2013, 2015) under Rocky Wirtz’s ownership, though the franchise has since fallen on harder times on the ice and dealt with controversies off it.

Wirtz was criticized for comments made during a “town hall” meeting in February 2022 about a team sexual-assault scandal that had come to light months earlier. He had not spoken publicly since March 2022, when the Blackhawks introduced Kyle Davidson as their general manager.

“Our hearts are very heavy today,” Blackhawks CEO Danny Wirtz, Rocky Wirtz’s son, said in a statement. “Our dad was a passionate businessman committed to making Chicago a great place to live, work and visit, but his true love was for his family and close friends. He was a loving father, a devoted husband to Marilyn, a brother, a nephew, an uncle and a doting grandfather to his six remarkable grandchildren. His passing leaves a huge hole in the hearts of many and we will miss him terribly.”

Chicago White Sox and Bulls owner Jerry Reinsdorf said of Rocky Wirtz’s passing in a statement, “This is just shocking news, and I am personally devastated. Rocky truly was a great man. We were far more than partners at the United Center. We were very close; he was a dear friend and our trust, our bond, was unbreakable. We never had a disagreement or argument during all of our many years together.

“Everyone liked Rocky. He was smart, passionate, generous, personable and friendly. He cared deeply about the Blackhawks, the people who worked for the team and at the United Center, Blackhawks fans and the city of Chicago. He was so very proud of the Stanley Cup Championships and what those trophies meant to the organization, the city and the fans.”

–Field Level Media

The Boston Bruins and forward Trent Frederic reached agreement on a two-year deal worth $4.6 million, hours before a scheduled arbitration hearing, Sportsnet reported Tuesday.

Frederic, 25, had a career season in 2022-23, playing in 79 games and recording 31 points (17 goals, 14 assists) with a plus-28 rating. All were career bests for the former 2016 first-round pick (No. 29 overall).

Frederic has 54 points (29 goals, 25 assists) in 198 career games, all with the Bruins.

Frederic had been asking for a one-year deal worth $2.9 million while the Bruins had countered with a two-year deal worth $2.8 million. His most recent contract was a two-year pact worth $2.1 million.

Frederic is eligible to become an unrestricted free agent at the end of this new contract.

–Field Level Media