Penguins general manager Jim Rutherford pulled the trigger on the long-awaited Matt Murray deal today, peddling the Thunder Bay native to Ottawa for a second-round pick (52nd overall) and forward Jonathan Gruden. The Pens used the pick to select highly regarded Joel Blomqvist of Karpat in the Finnish Elite League.
Few Pens past or present arrived to more hype…and exited more quietly than Murray.
A third-round pick in the 2012 Entry Draft, Murray enjoyed a meteoric start to his pro career. In 2014-15, he authored a season for the ages as an AHL rookie, posting a stunning 1.58 goals against average and .941 save percentage with Wilkes-Barre/Scranton. His 12 shutouts shattered a league record that stood for 72 years.
Following an equally strong 2015-16 season with the Baby Pens (2.10 GAA, .931 SV%), Murray was called up to replace a concussed Marc-Andre Fleury during the homestretch and performed flawlessly, posting a 2.00 goals against average and .930 save percentage in 13 games.
The rest, they say, is history. Murray backstopped the Pens to consecutive Stanley Cups in 2016 and ’17, while technically an NHL rookie, a feat that’s likely never to be equaled. As if to punctuate his extraordinary achievement, he posted back-to-back shutouts against Nashville to close out the second Cup run.
Seemingly poised for a long and eventful run in the ‘Burgh, Murray’s effectiveness mysteriously began to wane. He struggled through a difficult 2017-18 season, although the quality of his play no doubt was affected by the death of his father.
Too, Fleury’s departure…and that of goaltending coach Mike Bales may have robbed him of two important mentors at a critical juncture in his development.
Except for a hot second half in 2018-19 when his save percentage hovered around .930, Murray never truly regained his form, culminating in a subpar 2019-20 campaign (2.87 GAA, .899 SV%) that caused him to lose his hold on the starting job.
The ice-water cool, crispness on his angles, rebound control and quiet swagger the rangy netminder displayed early in his career seemed to evaporate. So did his penchant for making clutch saves.
Rather than challenging shooters as he once had, Murray appeared to play deeper in his net while dropping into his butterfly early, which left him vulnerable on net-front scrambles and second-chance opportunities.
His glove hand, never strong to begin with, remained an issue.
Whether the 26-year-old can regain his early mojo, especially with a poor Ottawa team, remains to be seen.
Incoming
A prospect in blog titles only, Gruden was a fourth-round pick of the Senators in 2018. Following a thoroughly nondescript season with Miami (of Ohio) University in ’18-19, the left-handed center showed flashes with London of the OHL, netting 30 goals and 66 points.
Perhaps the best thing about him? He’s not related to “Chucky” (Raiders coach Jon Gruden).
Fortunately, Blomqvist does seem to hold considerable promise, although the 18-year-old is likely several years away from making a splash on a big-league stage. The 6’2” 183-pounder posted excellent numbers with Karpat’s junior team, including 26 wins in 34 appearances and a sterling .931 save percentage. According to scouting reports he’s very athletic.
Shades of a young Fleury?
Perhaps.
Pick Me
The Pens added a second European goaltender in the third round of the draft, Calle Clang from Sweden (interesting name for a goalie). According to scouting reports, he favors more of a stand-up style and is difficult to beat around the posts and down low.
In the fourth round the Pens took 18-year-old center Lukas Svejkovsky, a heady 5’10” 165-pound will-o’-the-wisp out of Medicine Hat in the WHL who possesses good speed and puck skills.
The black and gold may have landed a sleeper in round five…Latvian winger Raivis Ansons. The 18-year-old hails from the same town as Teddy Blueger and was a teammate of Nathan Legare’s on a poor Baie-Comeau Drakkar squad. Ansons has size (6’1” 191) and speed, competes and wins puck battles and plays a fairly complete game.
“Sometimes I think his hesitation is not realizing how good he really is,” said his junior coach Jon Goyens. “We’re trying to get him not to play shy. There’s a lot of potential there.”
In the sixth round the Pens selected Chase Yoder, an edgy little shutdown center who skated for the U.S. National Under 18 Team. Former Pens’ assistant and current University of Wisconsin coach Tony Granato likens him to present Pen Brandon Tanev.
Hi Rick,
Just a quick comment on this trade. I expected Matt Murray to be traded. But I was really surprised to fin out that the return for the Pens is quite poor.
A two-time Stanley Cup champion, with stellar numbers (at least for the first two years with the Pens) is worth only a second-round pick (52nd overall) and a forward who hasn’t played yet in the NHL. When you look at the situation, you realize that hockey is really a business. A business where performance is the key.
I’ve always thought that Murray was not made to be a no.1 goalie. To be a no.1 goalie, it takes character, stamina and an intense desire to win. I have never seen that in Murray. He needs a lot of support around him. As you rightfully mentioned, Bales and Fleury were excellent mentors for him.
In a business where a two-time Stanley Cup champion must performed at all cost, I think it was just too much for Murray. Ottawa can be a good place for him because the team is rebuilding. Also, the goaltending coach is Pierre Groulx. He is a very good coach and I think he will instill confidence in Murray.
But the Senators owner, Mr. Melnick, is something else! Ottawa is a small hockey market but the fans can be impatient sometimes. Mr. Melnick’s hockey sense is not the best to say the least!
I’m wishing good luck to Matt and I hope this new start will bring him renewed energy!
Hello Jorenz,
It sounds like Blomqvist has a chance to be good, albeit down the road. Given Murray’s less-than-stellar performance over the past three seasons, I kind of doubted whether we’d get a first-round pick for him…certainly not a high first-rounder.
I had hopes that Bill Guerin might take Murray in exchange for the 31st overall pick. Reading between the lines, the fact that he didn’t may be revealing.
I’m going to digress for a moment. Joe Starkey wrote a really touching piece about Murray on the “Pittsburgh Post-Gazette,” recalling some of his stellar moments during the Cup runs. He had a lot of them.
And I can remember writing a piece about how confident and sure I felt with Murray in goal.
The terrible irony is, I felt anything but that over the past season or so. In fact, I absolutely didn’t trust him between the pipes any more.
Goaltenders, perhaps more than other hockey players, are prone to ups and downs. I remember Marc-Andre Fleury really struggled for a few seasons mid-career before he got his mojo back.
Maybe it’ll be the same for Murray. I kind of think it’s a confidence issue with him. Somewhere along the line, he went from playing at the top of his crease and squaring up and challenging shooters to playing back in his net and going down early. Playing to his weaknesses rather than his strengths.
Like you, I hope he’s able to rebound. I do think backstopping a team that plays with some structure (Islanders, etc.) would help. I’m not sure if that’s Ottawa’s M.O.
Like you, I wish him well.
Rick