The NHL announced the Pittsburgh Penguins Quarter-Century team on Jan. 9, featuring several memorable names in franchise history.
Today, we want to examine Matt Murray’s tenure with the club and his credentials for being honored on the Penguins’ second team.
Murray came to the Penguins organization as a third-round pick (83rd overall) from the 2012 Draft. He would eventually debut in 2015-16, skating in 13 games and compiling a 9-2-1 record with a 2.00 GAA and .930 SV%.
During the Stanley Cup playoffs, Murray played in 21 games as Pittsburgh would go on to defeat the San Jose Sharks in the Stanley Cup Final. The 21-year-old went 15-6 during the run with a 2.08 GAA and .923 SV%.
Because of his heroics, Murray played more games than Marc-Andre Fleury the following season, producing a 32-10-4 record in 49 games. As the Penguins marched back to the Stanley Cup Final, defeating the Nashville Predators, Murray was 7-3-0 in 11 games.
© Andre Ringuette – Imagn Images
It was clear at that point that Pittsburgh had found their heir apparent to Fleury, who was only 32 when the team left him exposed in the Vegas Golden Knights expansion draft.
Murray became the undisputed number one for the Penguins, playing 137 games over the next three seasons. His record during this stretch was 76-41-14 with a 2.82 GAA and .909 SV%.
Eventually, injuries derailed Murray’s tenure with the club, paving the way for Tristan Jarry and Casey DeSmith to get most of the starts.
On Oct. 7, 2020, Pittsburgh traded Murray to the Ottawa Senators in exchange for a second-round pick and Jonathan Gruden.
During Murray’s five seasons with Pittsburgh, these were his totals and ranks among players over the past 25 years:
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Games Played: 199 (3rd)
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Wins: 117 (3rd)
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Losses: 53 (4th)
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OT Losses: 19 (3rd)
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Shots Faced: 5,877 (3rd)
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Saves: 5,372 (3rd)
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Goals Against: 505 (3rd)
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Save Percentage: .914 SV% (1st min. 100 games)
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Goals Against Average: 2.67 (2nd min. 100 games)
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Shutouts: 11 (3rd)
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Assists: 4 (4rd)
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Penalty Minutes: 8 (8th)
Unfortunately, Murray has never played at the same level as his days with the Penguins, battling injuries and spending much time in the AHL.
In two seasons with the Senators, he was 15-25-3 in 47 games, and now, with the Toronto Maple Leafs, he’s 15-9-2 in just 28 games over the past three years, not playing at all in 2023-24.
Although Murray only spent five seasons with the Penguins, he produced the third-best statistics this century behind future Hall of Famer Fluery and his old partner Jarry.
Regarding his place in franchise history, Murray is one of four goalies to collect more than 100 wins, joining a list that includes Hall of Famer Tom Barrasso, Fleury, and Jarry.
As the goalie on record in the 2016 and 2017 Cup-clinching games, he joins Barrasso as the only one to achieve the feat in black and gold.
Related: 5 Interesting Things To Know About Joel Blomqvist
Related: Penguins Quarter-Century Second Team: Brian Dumoulin
