Penguins trade 2-time Cup champion Matt Murray to Senators
The Matt Murray era has come to an end in Pittsburgh.
On Wednesday, the Penguins traded the goaltender who led them to two Stanley Cup titles to the Ottawa Senators in exchange for a second-round pick (No. 52 overall) and forward prospect Jonathan Gruden.
Murray, 26, is a pending restricted free agent. A third-round pick in 2012, Murray had been the team’s starting goaltender for parts of the past five seasons. In 2019-20, while largely platooning with Tristan Jarry, Murray appeared in 38 games and had a 20-11-5 record with a 2.87 goals-against average, .899 save percentage and one shutout.
Debuting in the NHL during the 2015-16 season, Murray supplanted Marc-Andre Fleury and led the Penguins to the their fourth Stanley Cup title that season. He followed that up in 2016-17 by platooning with Fleury and aided the Penguins in becoming the first franchise to win back-to-back championships in nearly two decades.
Murray’s success prompted the Penguins to jettison Fleury to the Vegas Golden Knights in the 2017 expansion draft.
Despite become the undisputed No. 1 goalie after Fleury’s departure, Murray never enjoyed the same success in his final three seasons with the Penguins. Injuries and inconsistencies pockmarked his play.
This past postseason, Murray was replaced by Jarry in a must-win Game 4 of a quarterfinal series against the Montreal Canadiens. The Penguins fell 2-0, lost the best-of-five series 3-1, and entered an offseason that already has been filled with considerable changes.
The ascension of Jarry, who signed a three-year contract extension Saturday, and the team’s limited salary cap space prompted the team to jettison Murray.
“The acquisition of Matt Murray represents an important addition to our lineup,” Senators general manager Pierre Dorian said in a statement. “He’s a proven goaltender who has considerable high-pressure experience and someone who we’re certain will serve as a exceptional mentor to our young group of upcoming goaltenders.”
Gruden, 20, was a fourth-round pick (No. 95 overall) of the Senators in 2018. In 59 games with the London Knights of the Ontario Hockey League, Gruden had 66 points (30 goals, 36 assists). He is signed to a three-year entry-level contract with a salary cap hit of $788,333.
He is the son of Islanders assistant coach John Gruden.
Seth Rorabaugh is a TribLive reporter covering the Pittsburgh Penguins. A North Huntingdon native, he joined the Trib in 2019 and has covered the Penguins since 2007. He can be reached at srorabaugh@triblive.com.
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