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Matt Murray (b. 1994)

Goalie Notes: Kuemper, Murray, Campbell

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When the Colorado Avalanche acquired Alexandar Georgiev from the New York Rangers earlier this week, it became abundantly clear that the Avalanche would be moving forward without their Stanley Cup-winning starting goalie, Darcy Kuemper. Kuemper is set to hit the market on Wednesday, and with other pending free agents such as Valeri Nichushkin, Nazem Kadri, Andre Burakovsky, and Josh Manson, as well as Nathan MacKinnon’s mega-extension coming up a year from now, the Avalanche just aren’t in a position to spend significant cap dollars on a goalie. That leaves Kuemper with an intriguing opportunity, as he’s proven himself to be a championship-caliber starting goalie and is coming off of a regular season where he posted a .921 save percentage in 56 starts. There should be significant market interest from teams looking to acquire his services.

One of those teams is presumed to be the Washington Capitals. They traded one-half of last season’s goalie tandem, Vitek Vanecek, to the New Jersey Devils, and have enough cap space to make a splash on a goalie. According to Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet on the 32 Thoughts Podcast, the Capitals have been “very interested” in Kuemper for “quite some time” and should be “very motivated” to sign him once the market opens next week. The Capitals are looking to remain a Stanley Cup contender for the rest of Alex Ovechkin’s career, and acquiring a cup-winning number-one goalie is certainly one way for GM Brian MacLellan to keep his team in the mix.

Now, for some other notes regarding netminders across the league:

  • Earlier this week, we covered the trade that would have sent Ottawa Senators goalie Matt Murray to the Buffalo Sabres, before being nixed by Murray himself. Murray scuttling that trade possibility hasn’t stopped the Senators in their attempts to move him, and according to Postmedia’s Bruce Garrioch, Senators GM Pierre Dorion is “trying to get creative” in order to solve his current goalie logjam that currently has the team rostering three goalies on one-way contracts. Per Garrioch, the Toronto Maple Leafs are “involved in talks” with the Senators about Murray, and the Edmonton Oilers and Arizona Coyotes are two teams “studying the option” of taking on Murray. Murray, 28, carries a $6.25MM cap hit for the next two seasons and has not performed like a quality NHL goalie since 2018-19. Murray does, however, have two Stanley Cup rings on his resume and a career .911 save percentage, making him a potentially intriguing reclamation project for a team willing to take on his contract along with some sweetener assets as well.
  • For some time now, it’s looked as though the Toronto Maple Leafs and their number-one goalie for the last two years, Jack Campbell, were headed for a divorce. Campbell struggled as the season went on in 2021-22, and many assumed that the cap-strapped Maple Leafs would prefer to go in a different direction than extend Campbell on a market-value contract. Now, with Petr Mrazek’s $3.8MM cap hit off the books, it seems a Campbell reunion may be possible after all. TSN’s Chris Johnston reports that Campbell is “the priority” for Toronto and that before GM Kyle Dubas approaches any other goalie options he’ll want to make one last push at an extension for Campbell.

East Notes: Senators, Capitals, Johnson

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While the Senators made a big splash yesterday with the acquisition of winger Alex DeBrincat, Postmedia’s Bruce Garrioch relays (Twitter links) that there are still a pair of priorities for Ottawa – adding a defenseman and moving Matt Murray with talks intensifying on that front.  He adds that winger Connor Brown and blueliner Nikita Zaitsev could be players on the move.

Brown isn’t likely to sign an extension after suggesting he’d like to test free agency when he’s eligible next summer and at $3.6MM, he’d carry some trade value after being a key two-way player.  Zaitsev, meanwhile, has two years left at a $4.5MM AAV and might be used to match salaries in a move for a defender.  Murray blocked a trade to Buffalo on Thursday but the Senators are still looking to get out from the two years at $6.25MM per season left on his deal but will almost certainly need to pay down a fair-sized portion of that to facilitate a move.

More from the Eastern Conference:

  • The Capitals have interest in retaining pending unrestricted free agents Justin Schultz, Marcus Johansson, and Johan Larsson, notes Tarik El-Bashir of The Athletic (subscription link). With Schultz, however, the 32-year-old blueliner would need to take a pay cut from the $4MM he made over each of the last two years for a deal to be done.  Schultz is coming off a bit of a quiet year by his standards where he notched 23 points in 74 games.  The other two forwards were trade deadline acquisitions and fit in well with El-Bashir highlighting that the possibility of Larsson returning could be tied to Carl Hagelin’s situation with his availability for next season up in the air.
  • Sabres prospect defenseman Ryan Johnson will make his decision on whether or not to turn pro following their upcoming Development Camp, reports Lance Lysowski of The Buffalo News. The 2019 first-round pick has one more year of college eligibility remaining and the team could interpret him staying at the University of Minnesota as an indication that he may be interested in testing free agency next summer.  If that’s the case, Buffalo could look to move his rights in the coming weeks.  If Johnson opts for free agency next August and his rights aren’t traded, the Sabres would receive the 64th pick in the 2024 draft as compensation.

Senators, Sabres Discussed Matt Murray Trade

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12:15pm: Darren Dreger of TSN reports that the deal would have included the Senators retaining some of the salary, and Buffalo moving up from No. 16 to No. 7 in today’s first round.

11:10am: With the shallow free agent goaltending market this year, teams are trying to get a bit more creative. One name that has popped up a few times is Matt Murray, the Ottawa Senators netminder who fell out of favor with the team and spent a good chunk of last season in the minor leagues. Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet reports that the Senators and Buffalo Sabres were “deep into conversations” about Murray.

Unfortunately for both teams, Murray has Buffalo on his 10-team no-trade list and, as Friedman puts it, “stuck to his list.” That would suggest the talks got far enough along to ask him about whether he would waive, as the Senators try to rid themselves of his contract. Bruce Garrioch of Postmedia notes that Ottawa wouldn’t face the same issue with the Toronto Maple Leafs, who are also “in the mix”, as Murray would agree to a move there.

It’s easy to understand why the Senators want to move on. Not only does Murray have a $6.25MM cap hit, but the actual salary owed is higher in the last two years of his deal, with a $7MM salary in 2022-23 and $8MM in 2023-24. Combine those escalating costs with inconsistent play and a handful of exciting goaltending prospects, and you have a player that needs to be shipped out of town.

The Sabres are looking for a veteran goaltender to help Craig Anderson carry the NHL load while Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen continues to develop in the minor leagues, and given Murray’s experience–two Stanley Cups with the Pittsburgh Penguins–he certainly fits that bill, despite being just 28. For Buffalo, taking on a cap hit like that wouldn’t be an issue (the same can’t be said for Toronto), meaning they could likely have landed another asset along with Murray from the Senators.

Atlantic Notes: Palat, Senators Priorities, Murray

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The Tampa Bay Lightning may have fallen just short in their attempt to win a third straight Stanley Cup, but that hasn’t stopped them from doubling down on some of the players that got them there, and they started earlier this week with a seven-year extension for playoff hero Nick Paul. While defenseman Ryan McDonagh could be on the move, it seems as though that move would be motivated by the team’s desire to keep another important playoff performer: Ondrej Palat. Palat is one of the Lightning’s ultimate success stories, a seventh-rounder who developed to the point of being among coach Jon Cooper’s most trusted players. Palat is a pending unrestricted free agent, and GM Julien Brisebois has already made public his desire to sign Palat to an extension.

Earlier this week, The Athletic’s Joe Smith took a look (subscription link) at what a potential Palat extension could look like, and concluded that another team could very well offer Palat a long-term contract worth more than $5MM per year. But, according to Smith, even in the face of those offers “the Lightning are absolutely going to try to keep Palat.” The decision on whether he remains in Tampa “will likely rest in [Palat’s] hands” as he’ll have to decide if he’s willing to take a potentially lower offer in order to remain with the only franchise he’s ever known.

Now, for some other notes regarding teams in the Atlantic Division:

  • The Senators want to improve their team for next season, with the goal of potentially competing for a playoff spot in 2022-23. That much is no secret, and Ottawa indicated that would be their team’s direction earlier this year, when they traded a mid-round draft pick in order to acquire a veteran defenseman in Travis Hamonic. But while we know they want to improve their team, what we don’t know is exactly how they’ll go about doing so. According to Bruce Garrioch of Postmedia, the Senators are looking to add a “high-end winger” and a “top-four defenseman” as their main priorities for this offseason. Luckily for the Senators, there are high-end wingers and top-four defensemen on the market this summer, although acquiring them through free agency could prove to be a challenge as Ottawa has not traditionally been among the most desirable markets for free agents. The Senators have been dangling the seventh-overall pick in trade talks, though, so perhaps that pick holds the key to the Senators acquiring the players they desire.
  • Perhaps the single greatest factor the Senators have going in their favor as they seek to improve their team is their advantageous cap position. In a league where most teams are walking a salary cap tightrope, the Senators have over $20MM in projected cap space. Per Garrioch, they’d like to grow that number, and one avenue they’re considering is a move for goaltender Matt Murray. Murray is making $6.25MM against the cap for the next two seasons and the Senators already have found their number-one goalie for that time frame in Anton Forsberg. Garrioch reports that the Senators have talked about “packaging” Murray’s contract with the seventh-overall pick in order to clear his cap hit off their books. While Garrioch does note that such a scenario would need to bring the Senators a “strong return” in exchange, one does have to wonder if the cap relief trading Murray would provide could be considered part of a satisfactory “strong return.”

Update On Ottawa Senators Goalies

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The Ottawa Senators enter next season with the intention of competing for a playoff spot. Pierre Dorion referred to this past season as a “big step in the right direction” during his end-of-season media availability, and is reportedly even considering dealing the seventh-overall pick for more immediate help.

But perhaps the biggest reason the Senators can be optimistic about their playoff odds for next season is the emergence of goaltender Anton Forsberg as a legitimate number-one option. Forsberg, 29, played in 46 games last season, going 22-17-4 with a .917 save percentage and 2.82 goals-against average. Forsberg had been a third goalie and backup for most of his career to that point and had been claimed off of waivers three times en route to his Ottawa breakout. The Senators rewarded Forsberg for his strong play, signing him to a three-year $2.75MM AAV contract.

The emergence of Forsberg as the Senators’ starting goaltender could not have come at a better time given the decline of the previous starter, Matt Murray. Murray has had a nightmarish time as a Senator since signing a four-year, $25MM extension. He has gotten into only 47 games and has posted a combined .899 save percentage and 3.46 goals-against average over two seasons in Ottawa. Murray also cleared waivers with the Senators, indicating how far his value has fallen since he won back-to-back Stanley Cups as a member of the Pittsburgh Penguins.

But despite Forsberg clearly displacing Murray as the Senators’ starter, the Senators’ goaltending situation does not figure to be a simple one going into next season. Sportsnet’s Jeff Marek reports that there is a “strong possibility” that the Senators will take the unorthodox route of carrying three goaltenders on their active roster next season. The three goaltenders would presumably be Forsberg, Murray, and the young Filip Gustavsson, who is still only 23 years old but is set to be waiver-eligible next season.

While carrying three goalies on their roster is by no means illegal or against any rules for the Senators to do, it is unconventional. It is generally believed to be an arrangement that most goaltenders find uncomfortable, and since goaltenders develop best when they see consistent game action, one has to wonder if fighting two other goalies for starts is the best developmental environment for Gustavsson.

Those concerns won’t be nearly as loud, though, if the Senators can find a way to deliver on the team’s promise of returning to contention. Winning can be the ultimate cure for awkward roster situations, so with that in mind, the Senators have to hope that Forsberg repeats last season’s performance and Murray can repeat his early 2022 form that saw him post a .924 save percentage in January and a .943 in February.

Looking at it optimistically, if the Senators do indeed carry three goalies and the trio can manage to play well, perhaps the arrangement can help keep each goalie rested and consistent throughout the 82-game grind that is the regular season. Regardless of what the Senators choose to do with their goalies at the start of the season, though, the deciding factor on whether the team will carry three goalies for a full 82-game slate will be the performances of the goalies themselves.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images

East Notes: Senators Injuries, Goodrow, Kaski

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In an interview on TSN 1200 (audio link), Senators GM Pierre Dorion provided an update on several injured players.  Forward Tim Stutzle suffered a recurrence of the knee injury he had earlier in the season while playing at the Worlds which resulted in his early exit from the tournament.  Fortunately, the injury isn’t a severe one as the youngster will need a couple of weeks to recover which will give him plenty of time to get ready for training camp in the fall.  Meanwhile, Jake Sanderson is on the right path in his recovery from a hand injury that prevented the blueliner from seeing any NHL action down the stretch and is expected to be ready for development camp this summer.

As for goaltender Matt Murray, Dorion added that the netminder is expected to be fully recovered from his concussion and be ready for training camp.  The 28-year-old is coming off another tough year that saw him post a save percentage of just .906 which has led to some speculation about his future with the Senators.  Murray has two more years left on his contract that carries a $6.25MM AAV.

More from the Eastern Conference:

  • There was some good news on the injury front for the Rangers today as Vince Z. Mercogliano of USA Today relays (Twitter link) that winger Barclay Goodrow has resumed skating. He has been out since being suffering a lower-body injury in the opening game of the playoffs.  Considering he has missed a few weeks now, it seems unlikely Goodrow will be available for Thursday’s fifth game against Carolina but he might have a chance to return by the end of the series.
  • Hurricanes RFA Oliwer Kaski has decided to stay overseas as HC Lugano of the NLA in Switzerland announced that they’ve signed the defenseman to a two-year contract. The 26-year-old was tendered a qualifying offer by Carolina in 2020 but has spent the past two years with Avangard Omsk in the KHL.  His NHL rights are set to expire next summer so if he wants to come back to North America at that time, he’ll be an unrestricted free agent.

Atlantic Notes: Murray, Worlds, Petry, Gallagher, Senyshyn

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Senators goaltender Matt Murray was hoping to return down the stretch to give him an opportunity to play for Canada at the upcoming World Championships but had to shut it down last week due to post-concussion symptoms, relays Postmedia’s Bruce Garrioch (Twitter link).  It was a tough season for the 27-year-old as he was limited to just 20 games where he had a GAA of 3.05 and a SV% of .906, numbers that aren’t worth his $6.25MM AAV.  That resulted in Murray clearing waivers back in November.  With Anton Forsberg signing an extension back at the trade deadline and prospect Filip Gustavsson being waiver-eligible in 2022-23, Murray’s spot on Ottawa’s roster to start next season is far from a guarantee.

Elsewhere in the Atlantic:

  • Still with Ottawa, Ian Mendes of The Athletic mentions (Twitter links) that winger Drake Batherson and forward Tim Stutzle will represent Canada and Germany respectively at next month’s World Championships. However, forward Brady Tkachuk is unlikely to play for the United States in the tournament due to some nagging injuries.
  • Canadiens defenseman Jeff Petry told reporters, including TSN’s John Lu (Twitter link), that he hasn’t closed the door on staying in Montreal. The veteran blueliner requested a trade midseason but played much better in the second half under interim head coach Martin St. Louis, finishing up with 21 points in his final 28 games this season after having just six points through his first 40 contests.  Petry has three years left on his contract with a $6.25MM AAV.
  • Still with Montreal, Lu notes in a separate tweet that winger Brendan Gallagher declined an invite to play at the Worlds due to lingering injury issues while noting his hip issue from the playoffs last year was still acting up this season. Gallagher had the toughest offensive campaign of his 10-year career, notching just seven goals and 17 assists in 56 games.
  • With the regular season now done (at least for 30 of 32 teams), several trades that have conditions in them have now been finalized. One of those was the move that sent Zach Senyshyn to Ottawa in exchange for a conditional draft pick.  Had the winger played in five games with the Senators, the Bruins would have received Ottawa’s 2022 sixth-round pick.  He only played in two so Boston will instead get their 2022 seventh-rounder.

Injury Updates: Flyers, Barabanov, Maple Leafs, Murray

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Don’t expect the Flyers to get many – if any – reinforcements from their injured list over the final few games.  Giana Han of the Philadelphia Inquirer relays (Twitter link) that the only player that might be able to return is defenseman Nick Seeler with interim head coach Mike Yeo admitting that even that “might be a bit of a long shot”.  This means the season has come to an end for wingers Cam Atkinson and Patrick Brown, defensemen Rasmus Ristolainen, Kevin Connauton, and Cam York, as well as goaltender Carter Hart.

Other injury news from around the NHL:

  • Sharks winger Alexander Barabanov is listed as probable for tonight’s game against Chicago, notes Sheng Peng of San Jose Hockey Now (Twitter link). The 27-year-old has missed the last four games with an undisclosed injury.  Barabanov has been one of the bright spots for San Jose this season, notching 37 points in 65 games, a very nice return on a $1MM AAV.  He’s eligible for unrestricted free agency this summer and will be looking at a sizable raise on his next contract.
  • The Maple Leafs could have defenseman Jake Muzzin back in the lineup tomorrow against Washington, reports Sportsnet’s Luke Fox (Twitter link). The veteran has been held out of the last few games after struggling a bit after returning from a concussion.  Meanwhile, Fox adds that blueliner Rasmus Sandin is expected to start practicing with the team as he works his way back from a knee injury that landed him on LTIR last month.  Toronto has enough cap flexibility to activate him if he’s able to get into a game before the end of the season but if not, he should be ready for the playoffs.
  • Senators goaltender Matt Murray is hoping to get into a game or two by the end of the season but it doesn’t seem likely to happen, mentions Postmedia’s Bruce Garrioch. The netminder has been out for the last six weeks with a neck injury and is a speculative candidate to play for Canada at next month’s World Championships.  An appearance or two in the final week for Ottawa would go a long way towards demonstrating that he’ll be able to play in that tournament.

Snapshots: Three Stars, Hanson, Murray

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The NHL has released its Three Stars for last week, with Cam Talbot of the Minnesota Wild taking the top spot. The Wild went out and landed the best reigning Vezina Trophy winner at the deadline, but the incumbent started managed to post a 3-0 record with a .959 save percentage last week. Talbot now has 27 wins on the year and carries a .911 save percentage into the stretch run.

Second and third went to two Alberta superstars, as Johnny Gaudreau and Leon Draisaitl take home the honors. The Calgary Flames forward ended up with ten points in three games including a five-assist effort against Edmonton, and now has reached 90 points for the second time in his career. Meanwhile, the Oilers had their own star in Draisaitl, who added six goals and two assists last week. That takes him to 47 of each on the year, setting him up for the third 100+ point season of his career, should he stay healthy down the stretch.

  • The Lehigh Valley Phantoms have signed a pair of college free agents to professional tryouts, adding goaltender Darion Hanson from the University of Connecticut and Will Riedell from Ohio State. Neither one has signed NHL or even AHL contracts to this point, but will get a chance to taste professional hockey down the stretch before deciding what comes next. Hanson, 24, had a .923 save percentage in 35 starts for UConn this season.
  • Matt Murray was back on the ice this morning for the Ottawa Senators, as he works his way back from an upper-body injury. The veteran netminder has been out since earlier this month, leading to the Senators recalling and taking Mads Sogaard on the road with them to Nashville for tomorrow’s game. Murray, 27, has had a nightmare season, losing 14 of 20 appearances and seeing time in the minor leagues. While he had been seemingly turning things around in late February, two early starts in March saw him allow 13 goals on 53 shots before going back on the shelf.

Senators Notes: Sanderson, Murray, Forsberg

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The Ottawa Senators are expecting Jake Sanderson to join them after his college season ends. While that isn’t much of a surprise given how NHL-ready Sanderson has appeared this season, general manager Pierre Dorion confirmed to reporters including Bruce Garrioch of Postmedia that he and VP of player development Pierre McGuire both recently went to have dinner with him in Grand Forks.

Tyler Kleven, Sanderson’s teammate at the University of North Dakota, has also been invited to come to Ottawa after the college season. The NCHC quarterfinals kick off tonight for UND, where they’ll take on Colorado College. Both would need entry-level contracts before suiting up for Ottawa.

  • In more disappointing news, Dorion explained that Matt Murray won’t be back anytime soon. Murray has had a very up-and-down season including a stint in the minor leagues, but actually has his best save percentage in three years. An injury now is terrible timing for the veteran goaltender, as he tried to get his career back on track. He’s now out with an injury while sitting on a six-game losing streak.
  • With Murray out, it means that Anton Forsberg will have to carry a good chunk of the goaltending load down the stretch, meaning he’s now basically off the trade market. Dorion explained that he wants Forsberg to stay for the rest of the year and actually suggested that the Senators will be very quiet at the deadline in general.

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