It would appear Matt Murray's Cinderella run last postseason was no fluke.
Four games in after returning from a broken hand suffered at the World Cup of Hockey, and Murray has been nearly perfect. The 22-year-old is riding a 4-0-0 record and a league-leading 1.25 goals-against average and .961 save percentage.
Murray's hot start has helped the Pittsburgh Penguins jump out to a 10-3-2 record, putting them in a tie with the New York Rangers for top spot in the Metropolitan Division. There is no question he is the team's goaltender of the future.
Following his three-year contract extension signed on Oct. 20, general manager Jim Rutherford stated the move had nothing to do with the pending expansion draft and the team would deal with it when it comes.
Well, it's coming.
Sure, Marc-Andre Fleury has been a dependable option for the Penguins, but his numbers falter in comparison to Murray's. The veteran of over 660 games has turned in a 3.06 goals-against average (good enough for 37th in the league) and a .910 save percentage through 11 games.
In turn, Murray has started three of the team's past four contests and is quickly becoming head coach Mike Sullivan's most reliable option, meaning Rutherford will soon have to face the facts.
The NHL expansion draft will likely force the Penguins to deal either Murray or Fleury. With the former outperforming the latter and signed for the next three years at a cap-friendly $3.75 million per season, Murray is the consensus pick to be protected by the team.
Of course, Fleury is no throwaway, and the team won't simply let him walk without receiving something in return. So, while Rutherford may want to dance around the issue, he's going to have to find a way to move his veteran netminder sooner or later.
It certainly won't be easy saying goodbye to the franchise leader in almost every goaltending statistic, but the Penguins only have Murray's emergence as a star in the league to blame.
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