Worrisome goalie news out of Toronto ahead of deadline

The National Hockey League Trade Deadline is fast approaching, now just barely over two weeks away from today. And while speculation has been growing about the prospects of the Toronto Maple Leafs looking to make a move to bolster their forward and/or defensive units, they suddenly find themselves with a few questions between the pipes. 

Goaltender Ilya Samsonov, who has been shouldering the majority of the workload since Matt Murray went down with an ankle injury, was absent from today's practice with an undisclosed illness.

According to head coach Sheldon Keefe, they'll be monitoring his health before making the call on whether or not he can start tomorrow night against the Original 6 rival Montreal Canadiens. 

"We'll see how he is throughout the day and into tomorrow and then make a decision (on who starts in goal against the Canadiens) from there."

Samsonov has amassed a record of 19-6-2 with a 2.31 goals against average and .918 save percentage with three shutouts in 27 appearances in his first year with the Leafs. 

Meanwhile, the team also provided the latest update on Murray, who hasn't suited up in exactly one month. He was on the ice this morning prior to the rest of his teammates, participating in drills. 

"I think he's progressing well," Keefe told reporters. "He has been putting in some consistent work. Ankle is still not at the point where it's allowing him to do everything that's required to play goal in terms of his movements."

However, Keefe said that there wasn't any further information in regards to a solid timetable for a return to game action, simply replying "No". 

The Leafs will host the Habs tomorrow night at Scotiabank Arena, starting at 7:00 PM EST.