Are COVID-19 complications to blame for Matt Murray's struggles in Ottawa?

Just like with the rest of the world, COVID-19 has been wreaking havoc on the National Hockey League over the last two years, with no real end in sight for the ongoing global pandemic.

Several teams have dealt with outbreaks, some more serious than others, over the past two seasons with players dealing with varying levels of complication after becoming infected.

TSN's Darren Dreger pointed out on Saturday that, for many, there can be serious lingering effects, even for those who have already recovered from COVID-19 - effects that may have come into play in the case of Ottaws Senators goaltender Matt Murray, who was informed on Friday that he would he placed on waivers on Saturday.

"More and more people are talking about the lingering effects of CoVid on some of the NHL players who have had the virus. In some cases, recovery has been slow and playing through it has been a challenge. Matt Murray, as an example, had legit symptoms."

Murray has struggled mightily since being acquired by the Senators in October of 2020, posting a combined .892 save percentage since his debut with the Sens, well below the league average.

Murray has fallen pretty far since winning back-to-back Stanley Cups with the Pittsburgh Penguins in 2016 and 2017. While it's not certain that COVID-19 may have played a large role in that, it's also not certain that it hasn't either.

The 27-year-old has 2 more seasons remaining on his contract after this one and carries a $6.25M cap hit. It will be an absolute shock if he is claimed, given his poor performance over the past 3 seasons.

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