Penguins A to Z: Even as starter, Matt Murray's future hardly certain

While the NHL is on hold due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, the Tribune-Review will offer Penguins A to Z, a player-by-player look at all 55 individuals under NHL contract with the organization, from mid-level prospect Niclas Almari to high-profile trade acquisition Jason Zucker.

Player: Matt Murray

Position: Goaltender

Catches: Left

Age: 26

Height: 6-foot-4

Weight: 178 pounds

2019-20 NHL statistics: 38 games, 20-11-5 record, 2.87 goals-against average, .899 save percentage, one shutout

Contract: Final year of a three-year contract with a salary cap hit of $3.75 million. Pending restricted free agent this upcoming offseason.

Acquired: Draft, third round (No. 83 overall), June 23, 2012

This season: Stop us if you’ve heard this before.

Goalie meets team. Goalie and team fall in love. Goalie and team win the Stanley Cup. Goalie and team live happily ever after.

But a new goalie shows up. And that goalie also wins the Stanley Cup. Twice, in fact. And he does so with a much lower salary cap hit.

The old goalie feels out of place and is ultimately exposed in the expansion draft and acquired by a sparkling new team out west.

That’s what happened with Marc-Andre Fleury in 2017. And it could happen with Matt Murray.

There were few questions about Murray’s place on the Penguins entering 2019-20. He was the No. 1 goaltender. But there were always those ever-persistent questions about his health.

Yet, this season, Murray didn’t miss any games because of injuries.

The only thing that kept him out of the lineup was his play. And Tristan Jarry’s.

Through the first 18 games, Murray was the unquestioned starter as he started 15 games and Jarry only started three.

The flashpoint for change in that arrangement might have come on the eve of Thanksgiving. In a wild 8-6 comeback win at home against the Vancouver Canucks, Murray was pulled after allowing four goals on 14 shots.

Murray was replaced by Jarry, who stabilized things enough for the Penguins to claim victory.

After that, Jarry would start the next 21 games and become an All-Star, and Murray served as backup. Murray did not start consecutive games until Jan. 17 and 19.

From that point on, Murray and Jarry largely served as a platoon before the season came to a halt on March 12.

The future: Even with that platoon, the Penguins seemed willing to give Murray every opportunity to reclaim the full-time No. 1 job. In his final four games before the NHL’s pause, Murray had a 3-1-0 record along with a 3.05 goals-against average and .887 save percentage.

Hardly record-breaking totals but certainly better than Jarry’s totals in his last four games before the hiatus (0-4-0, 4.03 goals against average and .845 save percentage).

So it’s likely safe to assume Murray will be in the net if the postseason commences. But management certainly has plenty of confidence in Jarry should Murray falter.

Beyond this season, Murray’s status might be the biggest on-ice question for this organization.

Under normal circumstances, he would be due a substantial raise as well as a contract with significant term. But these are hardly normal times. The NHL’s hiatus likely will have a negative impact on the league’s economics and potentially drive the salary cap down.

And with the emergence of Jarry as well as the looming expansion draft in 2021 for the NHL’s Seattle franchise, the Penguins could opt to cut ties with Murray simply because it makes the most sense financially.

But none of that will be determined until after this upcoming postseason, assuming it takes place. If it does, Murray will be playing for an uncertain future.

Follow the Penguins all season long.