Mandatory Credit: John E. Sokolowski-USA TODAY Sports
Murray With a Nice Bounce Back
Things didn’t go so well for Matt Murray in his last preseason outing. However, last night was his chance to prove he could handle the NHL. He had the opportunity to face Stamkos and Nikita Kucherov among others in Tampa’s lineup that can light the lamp on a nightly basis. And, he handled it pretty well.
I still hear a lot of folks wondering why Murray isn’t considered the undisputed backup for Marc-Andre Fleury for 2015-16 and I think former Pens Assistant GM Tom Fitzgerald summed it up nicely. He isn’t going to beat Fleury for the starting job, so he needs to be ‘the guy’ in the AHL where he’ll get more starts and continue to develop.
Murray isn’t ready for a full-time NHL role just yet but he will be in the very near future. With Fleury’s extension just beginning in Pittsburgh, will they keep him around to be the goalie of the future? Will they trade him?
Having a promising young goaltender like Murray raises a lot of questions that no one has answers to right now. But, for the moment, it’s nice to know the organization has that kind of depth in the crease.
Next: Derrick Pouliot to the AHL?