If Murray plays like Erixon we wasted a pick. Dont get me wrong Erixon COULD be a stud, where Murray is already touted as a stud. Murray should be (at least should have been this season ) a whole notch above erixon, moore and aucion. Straight out of the draft. He doesnt get rattled or hurried. His heads up always looking for the outlet pass, he knows where to be in most situations, and isnt afraid to take the body. His hockey iq is through the roof, his skating and stick handling are superb. He knows what to say and when to say and isnt afraid to take responsibility for what needs to get done. No he doesnt have the flashiest game, but he was almost on pace for 1ppg this season before his injury, with barely any help what so ever. Now I can only imagine him making breakout passes to Cam, Calvert, possibly even Drouin/Barkov/Lindholm or shinkaruk(master of the give'n'go)
Believe me, I know the low-down on Murray. I was one of his biggest supporters at draft time, and have continually pumped his tires and defended the pick mercilessly. Hell, this whole thing started off as me refuting a claim that we have players who play like him. I know how special he is. I was merely stating how Erixon is the CLOSEST thing we have on this roster to Murray. I think they will both eventually have a similar offensive impact, but Murray's overall impact on the team will dwarf that of Tim.
Murray's offense will surprise people. He has a calm demeanor with the puck and makes very good passes, combined with his intelligence. He won't be Kris Letang or Erik Karlsson, but I certainly don't put it out of the realm of possibility that he's a 50 point defenseman in the NHL ... especially if we can build up some talent around him.
I like the Duncan Keith comparison myself. Murray plays an NHL style game, and I think people don't understand how well he can do offensively quite simply because he can almost think the game too fast for the kids in Juniors. Guys who think at an NHL pace will be rewarded by Murray with timely, precise passes from the point or half-wall to prime scoring areas. However, until we have legitimate offensive threats like Chicago does, I don't think he'll reach the level of production of Keith. I could certainly see him hitting 50 points, but not for a long time. This is why I believe he and Tim will produce at around the same clip, at least for a while. I'll happily eat crow if I'm wrong either way, but this is what I believe right now.
Give me best guesses for these on an A - F scale:
Skating:
Defensive Positioning:
Hitting/Checking/Board Play:
Breakout Passing:
Acumen in the Offensive Zone:
I guess this wasn't directed at me in particular, but I'd like to weigh in while I'm at it.
Skating: A+ .... Almost a flawless skater. Extremely smooth.
Defensive Positioning: A .... He simply just knows where to be. Part of why his IQ is regarded so highly.
Hitting: C .... Not very physical, but he makes up for it...
Checking: A .... ..with his checking ability. These two terms are often considered synonymous, however checking is mostly in reference to separating the puck from the player, as opposed to separating the player from the puck with a big hit. This can be done with the stick or by sticking your rear in front of the player and gaining body position, both of which Murray excels at.
Boardplay: A/A- .... This is the trickiest one for me. Kind of just goes along with checking.
Breakout: A .... He can see plays develop before most players and has an extremely precise passing ability. Makes for a good breakout player.
Offensive Zone: B .... I don't quite see him as the guy who will actively be leading the charge offensively, however 9/10 times he will simply make the "right" play, which sometimes goes undetected, but will pay off when done over and over.
Hope that helps.
