The Ottawa Senators have completed the trade of goalie Matt Murray from the Pittsburgh Penguins, the term confirmed on Wednesday. In exchange, the Penguins will receive center, Jonathan Gruden
“Without a doubt, Matt Murray will be our No. 1 goalie this year,” Senators general manager Pierre Dorion exclaimed in an interview. “I’ve spoken publicly that [goalie] Anders Nilsson has had, still has symptoms from a concussion suffered in December, which is unfortunate.
He can’t do stressful physical activities. So at this point in time, you know we’ve been working on this trade with [Penguins GM] Jim Rutherford, who was great to deal with, and we were able to pull the trigger this morning.”
The 26-year-old Murray achieved a record of 20-11-5 with a 2.87 goals-against average during the last season, with a 2.87 goals-against average, an .899 save percentage, and one shutout.
With the signing of Murray in the bag, the Senators have confirmed that 39-year-old goalie Craig Anderson would not be offered a new contract for next season. While Anderson won back to back Stanley Cup titles in 2016 and 2017, he shared his goaltending duties with Tristan Jarry this past season. With Anderson approaching retirement, the Senators were in need of a fresh talent such as Murray.
