With Cam Ward returning to health in Carolina, the Hurricanes returned Mike Murphy to Charlotte on Monday.
Murphy, who originally headed to Carolina when Ward suffered an injury in Minnesota on Nov. 9, backed up former Checkers teammate Justin Peters for 10 games but did not see game action. He will be eligible to meet up with the Checkers as they continue a two-game road trip in Toronto on Tuesday.
The move leaves the Checkers with three goalies, with John Muse and Rick DiPietro both signing professional tryout contracts since the season began. The team did not announce a corresponding transaction after receiving Murphy and is able to carry as many players as desired in the absence of an AHL roster limit, though it has yet to carry three goaltenders at the same time this season.
The organization's goaltending situation could become even more crowded once Carolina's Anton Khudobin returns from an ankle injury suffered on Oct. 13, though he had not yet begun skating with the team as of Monday.
In three appearances with the Checkers this season, Murphy, a 24-year-old playing his fifth professional season, went 1-2-0 with a 3.81 goals-against average and .873 save percentage. He is the franchise’s all-time leader in games played (74) and victories (40). He is one of six goalies to play for the Checkers this season along with Peters, Muse, DiPietro, Jesse Deckert and Allen York.
