NHL trade rumors: 3 teams who should trade for Matt Murray

According to the latest NHL trade rumors, the Pittsburgh Penguins are likely going to trade Matt Murray. Which teams should be interested in him?

The Pittsburgh Penguins are almost indefinitely going to trade a goalie this offseason. Both Matt Murray and Tristan Jarry are going to be restricted free agents and are likely going to get raises. It makes very little sense to keep both. According to the latest NHL trade rumors, the Penguins have already begun discussing trades involving both goalies, but it’ll most likely be Murray who gets traded.

This report comes from Josh Yohe of The Athletic (subscription required).

"The consensus is that Murray, who has struggled in two of the past three seasons and who figures to command more money than Jarry because of his postseason history, is the more likely of the two to go."

After losing to the Montreal Canadiens in the play-in round, the Penguins are likely going to make some huge changes. But considering the pandemic has done a number on their finances and they already don’t have that much cap space, trading Murray makes a ton of sense.

The goalie market this offseason is fascinating. There are free agent goalies like Robin Lehner, Cam Talbot, Braden Holtby, and Anton Khudobin. On top of that, there are several trade candidates, with Murray among the best of them.

Murray’s track record is undeniably impressive. He’s won two Stanley Cups. However, the Penguins netminder has seen his numbers decline over the past three seasons. He’s no longer their best goalie. Jarry’s taken over that role. Murray’s departure seems inevitable, especially after the Penguins went with Tristan Jarry as their starting goalie in Game 4 against the Canadiens.

With the Seattle Kraken having their expansion draft next summer, even if the Penguins manage to keep both Murray and Jarry, it’s likely the Kraken will just take whichever goalie the Penguins leave unprotected. Which means they’ll lose a goalie for absolutely nothing. That’s simply not a good way to run a business. It’s awful asset management.

Assuming the Penguins want to get at least something for a goalie they’re going to lose anyway, here are three teams who should trade for Matt Murray.