Matt Murray Signs Contract Extension; What this mean for Future
Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports
When you become a playoff savior in net which was the case with Matt Murray, you get rewarded with a contract extension. According to ESPN's Pierre LeBrun, he signed a 3-year contract extension and the contract has an AAV worth $3.75 million per season. The contract will be effective starting next season. He was supposed to be a restricted free agent at the end of the season.
He played in 13 regular season games last season. He had a 9-2-1 record with a .930 save percentage, 2.00 GAA, and 1 shutout. In the postseason, he played in 21 games. He had a 15-6 record with a .923 save percentage and 2.08 GAA. Murray hasn't played in a game yet this season because of a hand injury, but he returned to practice recently.
What does this move mean for the future? It means Marc-Andre Fleury will most likely be on his way out during the middle of the season or after the season via trade. Technically Fleury is under contract for the 2017-2018 and 2018-2019 season as well worth $5.75 million each season.
He also has a no trade clause, but he can only be traded to certain teams. With the expansion draft looming this summer, they can only protect only goalie and most likely it will be Murray. It doesn't make sense if the Penguins signed Murray to that contract extension to be the backup to Fleury.
This is pretty clear that Murray is the number 1 goalie once he comes back from injury. Fleury will probably be traded to a team like the Dallas Stars or Edmonton Oilers in the near future.
