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Pittsburgh Penguins G Matt Murray A Golden Trade Chip

By Ryan Ritchie

May 4, 2016; Pittsburgh, PA, USA; Pittsburgh Penguins goalie Matt Murray (30) makes a save against the Washington Capitals during the second period in game four of the second round of the 2016 Stanley Cup Playoffs at the CONSOL Energy Center. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports
May 4, 2016; Pittsburgh, PA, USA; Pittsburgh Penguins goalie Matt Murray (30) makes a save against the Washington Capitals during the second period in game four of the second round of the 2016 Stanley Cup Playoffs at the CONSOL Energy Center. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports /
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Pittsburgh Penguins G Matt Murray is Stealing the Spotlight from Marc-Andre Fleury; Becoming a Valuable Trade Chip

Pittsburgh Penguins G Matt Murray continued his hot play into the second round filling in for Marc-Andre Fleury. Now that Fleury is back, Murray shows no signs of relinquishing the starter’s role.

At this point, the only way Fleury will see time in the crease is if Murray drops the ball at some point with a bad outing. For the time being, the Pens will gladly ride the hot hand that has helped propel them to a 3-1 lead against the Presidents’ Trophy winning Washington Capitals.

The question many people are wondering, “what is the end result?” considering it’s not a tandem relationship that can co-exist.

Many have proposed that Pittsburgh can move on from their aging starter, making room for a younger option. While tempting given Matt Murray’s potential to be a solid starter in this league, there are still several unknown’s. They say you can’t judge a goalie until he’s been put through a 60-game workload over the course of a season. That 60-game sample can be the difference between a Martin Jones or Viktor Fasth.

Given the fact that Marc-Andre Fleury is in the same age window as Kris Letang, Evgeni Malkin, and Sidney Crosby, and is still playing at an elite level, it makes little sense to hand the reins to Matt Murray. The Pens veteran core still has 3-5 year window before Pittsburgh needs to start planning/building for a post-Crosby/Malkin era.

Fleury, 31, still has three years remaining on his contract which carries a $5.75 million dollar cap hit. He also carries a full no-movement clause, so for those of you out there who think trading him is a slam dunk, he ultimately controls his own destiny anyways.

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Sell High on Pittsburgh Penguins G Matt Murray

The only reason this decision becomes increasingly difficult is if Matt Murray went on to win the Conn Smythe en route to a Stanley Cup victory. Otherwise, the Pens will need to sell high in the offseason while Murray’s value is peaked.

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It’s a perfect opportunity to address the blueline. Yes, the Penguins have some promising pieces that continue to develop (i.e. Brian Dumoulin/Derrick Pouliot), but either way, an upgrade to the top four is necessary.

An upgrade to the top six forward group wouldn’t hurt either. Give Pens support players credit, guys like Sheary have stepped up in a big way. But you need Evgeni Malkin and Sidney Crosby playing with more talent than Conor Sheary or Oskar Sundqvist.

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Potential Trade Scenarios

Arizona Coyotes – Pittsburgh could target Connor Murphy/or Michael Stone. The Yotes could add a draft pick or prospect to the deal. 

Calgary Flames – Target would include either Dougie Hamilton/or T.J. Brodie. Pittsburgh would need to get creative in adding. This would have to be a multi-player deal to balance the value.

Carolina Hurricanes – Jim Rutherford could call up a familiar face (Ron Francis) targeting Jeff Skinner and one of the Canes many defensemen that emerged in 2015-16. Again, this would have to be a multi-player deal for both sides.

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New York Islanders – Jaroslav Halak and Thomas Greiss are quality netminders, but they’re a little more seasoned than the younger core. The Isles can afford to give up a top-six player (if they re-sign Kyle Okposo) along with a defensive prospect (i.e. Scott Mayfield).

Toronto Maple Leafs – If Pittsburgh can find room to add extra salary (perhaps a Jared Cowen cap credit would help?), James van Riemsdyk or Leo Komarov might be tempting options for Jim Rutherford. A Leafs-Pens deal for Murray would likely be a multi-player deal similar to last summer’s Phil Kessel trade.

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