Penguins Sign Brett Murray To PTO

The Pittsburgh Penguins have signed their first PTO of the preseason, adding winger Brett Murray to their organization on a tryout basis, according to insider Frank Seravalli. Murray played 2024-25 on a one-year, two-way contract that was worth $775k at the NHL level and $350k at the AHL level.

Out of the four players who have signed a PTO this morning (Murray, Andrej Sustr, Daniel Walcott, and Josh Lopina) it is Murray who has most recently played in NHL games. The 27-year-old skated in three games for the Buffalo Sabres in 2024-25, and two for the club in 2023-24. Murray has been with the Sabres organization since they selected him in the fourth round, 99th overall, at the 2016 Entry Draft.

Murray took a somewhat unconventional path to professional hockey, playing parts of two college hockey seasons with Penn State before returning to his junior club, the USHL’s Youngstown Phantoms, after his sophomore campaign in State College. Murray never quite found his groove with the Nittany Lions, but he led the USHL in goals with the Phantoms, a performance that earned him a one-year AHL contract with the Rochester Americans in advance of the 2019-20 campaign.

The signing of Murray immediately paid dividends for the Americans, as he had a solid 24-point rookie campaign that year, and just one year later, registered 20 points in 27 games whilst earning his first NHL call-up. Murray developed into one of the Americans’ more reliable scorers, and most recently registered a career-best 27 goals and 49 points across 66 games in 2024-25.

Despite his quality production across more than a half-decade in Western New York, the Sabres informed Murray that they would not be offering him a contract to remain with the team for 2025-26. Murray’s 69 games played across the NHL and AHL last season put him to a career total of 351 pro games across both leagues. As a result, Murray, who began last season with 282 pro games, is now a full-status veteran player within the purview of the AHL’s development rule.

The AHL’s development rule places a strict limit on the number of players who are not considered “development players” that a team can dress for any given game. The rule has been somewhat controversial for the league’s veteran players, and has been cited by reporters covering the AHL as a reason for many quality AHL players having trouble keeping a spot in the league. Inside AHL Hockey’s Tony Androckitis quoted a veteran free agent one year ago who named the rule as a major reason as to why he could not remain with his former AHL club.

With that in mind, it is possible that Murray’s status as a “veteran” player played a role in his exit from Rochester after a strong offensive season with the club. In Pittsburgh, Murray will have an opportunity to factor into the team’s roster-building considerations.

While the Penguins appear set to focus on more homegrown youth this upcoming season, it remains possible that Murray has a strong preseason and earns a spot with the Wilkes-Barre Scranton Penguins. Murray’s 49 points last season would have tied him for second in scoring on the 2024-25 edition of the AHL Penguins, and with leading scorer Ville Koivunen a real candidate to make it to the NHL on a full-time basis, its possible the team could look to Murray to give them some more offensive firepower.