Player Discussion Matt Murray (G) - 4 years, $6.25M AAV

[Adele Dazeem]

Congratulations on signing the extension folks. I spent a lot of time on the Pitt GDT’s this season so I know he was being doubted.

The man is a winner who suffered the loss of his Dad last year and I think his grief took a lot of his focus away (completely understandable). I really hope he can rebound in style for you.

This is huge, and people are quick to forget how that could really ruin a person's life.

 

[NyQuil]

I can guarantee you that Chabot and Tkachuk have a lot more confidence in the mid-term prospects of this organization knowing they'll have Matt Murray in nets instead of Marcus Hogberg.

This is good. After 3 years of tire-fire and tear-down, it signals to our players, and potential acquisitions, that we're actually thinking of becoming a good team.

Every contract has risk, and nothing is a sure thing. 4 years is perfect term to try and mitigate that, IMO.

 

[Masked]

Show a little optimism.

Everyone on the team will play great in every game!

That'll never happen. We're not the super mega awesome Toronto Maple Leafs.

 

[topshelf15]

Yeah ,I dont like the money think its a little high...But with his ARB rights he likely gets 6 mil anyhow from any team that traded for him,also 4 years is decent

 

[OttawaSenators11]

Why backload the contract? year 4 could be gross ( hope not)

 

[NyQuil]

A young 24 year old goalie with 2 cups under his belt and he was treated like trash by some Pens fans.
Goalies normally play their best hockey 26-30. He has something to prove and was stellar in other leagues and not just in Pitts.

Meh, they have another guy that they want to go with and has played better recently.

Nothing wrong with what they did. Same with moving on from Fleury.

 

[Gil Gunderson]

I mean, if it works out, great. If it doesn't, just throw it on top of the pile with all our other issues.

 

[NyQuil]

Why backload the contract? year 4 could be gross ( hope not)

As others have said in the thread, it could very well be COVID-19 related and escrow.

Less likely to have salary clawed back later on if/when the pandemic is managed.

 

[HSF]

Why backload the contract? year 4 could be gross ( hope not)

escrow.... players will lose more money in the next couple of years due to the flat cap

 

[IranCondraAffair]

I really hate saying this, and I honestly take no pleasure in it, but I don't think he will live up to that contract.

Maybe if it helps us re-sign some guys and maybe somehow we save some money elsewhere that I didn't expect, but I just see a lot of money on a high risk goaltender.

Oh well.

 

[Mark Stones Spleen]

8m in year 4? If Eugene is still around, we're going to be giving up a good pick to trade him at that point.

 

[Spartachat]

My guess is 1 million for each of first three years and then 23 million for the final year.

 

[inthewings]

I don't love the idea of committing 6+M for 4 years to a goalie before the team is ready to compete, and probably would have targeted a stop-gap on a 1-year deal.

I also recognize that this could work out very well.

 

[NyQuil]

I really hate saying this, and I honestly take no pleasure in it, but I don't think he will live up to that contract.

Maybe if it helps us re-sign some guys and maybe somehow we save some money elsewhere that I didn't expect, but I just see a lot of money on a high risk goaltender.

Oh well.

Goalies are such a crap shoot, I really have no idea.

 

[Hale The Villain]

I'm fine with the money and the term, not fine with the backloading.

No chance he's in Ottawa beyond 3YRs. Even if he rebounds and plays well as a starting goalie, we'll dump his 8M salary and turn the net over to Hogberg/Daccord/Sogaard/Mandolese/Gustavsson.

 

[JimmySpaetzle]

Someone posted this in main:

For those who are shocked at the cost, here's a list of contracts RFA starting goalies coming off of a bridge (sans Binnington) signed during this CBA.

NAME	AGE	AAV	YEARS	CAP%
VASILEVSKIY	25	9.5	8	11.66%
RASK	26	7	8	10.89%
PRICE	24	6.5	5	10.83%
BOBROVSKY	26	7.45	4	10.17%
VARLAMOV	25	5.9	5	9.18%
HOLTBY	25	6.1	5	8.54%
GIBSON	25	6.4	8	8.05%
HELLEBUYCK	25	6.166	6	7.76%
ANDERSEN	26	5	5	7.00%
SCHNEIDER	26	4	3	6.67%
ALLEN	25	4.35	4	5.96%
BERNIER	26	4.15	2	5.81%
BINNINGTON	26	4.4	2	5.40%

[TBODY] [/TBODY]

 

[Gil Gunderson]

I really hate saying this, and I honestly take no pleasure in it, but I don't think he will live up to that contract.

Maybe if it helps us re-sign some guys and maybe somehow we save some money elsewhere that I didn't expect, but I just see a lot of money on a high risk goaltender.

Oh well.

Biggest concern here is his concussion history. This team should take risks, but I don't know if this is it.

 

[DueDiligence]

Matt Murray wanted a NTC? To stay in Ottawa??? Feels good man

Murray and his wife are both from Thunder Bay. So close to their families. As well they probably are planning kids now and Ottawa is a great place to raise them.
Not everybody wants to live in New York , L.A. or Toronto!

 

[NyQuil]

Someone posted this in main:

For those who are shocked at the cost, here's a list of contracts RFA starting goalies coming off of a bridge (sans Binnington) signed during this CBA.

NAME	AGE	AAV	YEARS	CAP%
VASILEVSKIY	25	9.5	8	11.66%
RASK	26	7	8	10.89%
PRICE	24	6.5	5	10.83%
BOBROVSKY	26	7.45	4	10.17%
VARLAMOV	25	5.9	5	9.18%
HOLTBY	25	6.1	5	8.54%
GIBSON	25	6.4	8	8.05%
HELLEBUYCK	25	6.166	6	7.76%
ANDERSEN	26	5	5	7.00%
SCHNEIDER	26	4	3	6.67%
ALLEN	25	4.35	4	5.96%
BERNIER	26	4.15	2	5.81%
BINNINGTON	26	4.4	2	5.40%

[TBODY] [/TBODY]

In all fairness, he might be better than 4 of those guys on the list? Conclusively?

 

[OttawaSenators11]

8m in year 4? If Eugene is still around, we're going to be giving up a good pick to trade him at that point.

We'll buy him out in the final year lol

 

[IranCondraAffair]

Goalies are such a crap shoot, I really have no idea.

It is so flipping hard to know.

One year a guy is a brick all, next year he's fighting for a job and the worst contract in the league.

 

[Neil Patrick Harris]

It'll be bumped if anyone doesn't play great.

You won't need to bump it. It'll be on the front page of this board for at least the next season.

 

[FormentonTheFuture]

I'm fine with the money and the term, not fine with the backloading.

No chance he's in Ottawa beyond 3YRs. Even if he rebounds and plays well as a starting goalie, we'll dump his 8M salary and turn the net over to Hogberg/Daccord/Sogaard/Mandolese/Gustavsson.

If one of those shows good starter ability than sure. Otherwise I don’t see it

 

[JaredCowen4Norris]

I really hate saying this, and I honestly take no pleasure in it, but I don't think he will live up to that contract.

Maybe if it helps us re-sign some guys and maybe somehow we save some money elsewhere that I didn't expect, but I just see a lot of money on a high risk goaltender.

Oh well.

I get what you mean but out of all the goalies we could have gotten he really was the best option. I'd much rather be paying a 26 year old goalie this money over a guy like Kuemper who's probably maxed out his development. Even if Murray becomes and average starter, moving him on a $6.25 mil contract won't be impossible. Considering what the alternatives were our mission to find a new starting goalie could have ended a lot worse.

 

[topshelf15]

Most are saying that if we goto arb 6mil is the minimum we could have ended up paying....The guy has two cups,and one bad year ,that would be the long and short of it