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Senators Sign Matt Murray to Four-Year Contract |
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The Ottawa Senators have signed Matt Murray to a four-year contract carrying an average annual value of $6.25M. According to Bruce Garrioch, the deal is back-loaded, with Murray set to receive $4M, $6M, $7M, and $8M respectively in each of the next four seasons.
News of a Murray signing doesn't come as a shock; it was basically a foregone conclusion after the Senators acquired the goaltender from Pittsburgh earlier this week. It's quite clear, based on the size of this commitment, that the team feels that it has found its goaltender of the future. There's no uncertainty in the Ottawa crease anymore. Beyond that, this move also serves as a giant leap towards the cap floor for Pierre Dorion's team.
Of course, even with that being said, there is significant risk associated with this signing. While Murray comes with the pedigree of a two-time Stanley Cup champion, his recent on-ice results leave a lot to be desired:
The Senators just committed a lot of money to a gamble that he returns to form in front of a defence that isn't exactly known for limiting high-quality chances.
In addition, the fact that the deal is back-loaded leaves the potential that cash could be a concern down the road. When Tim Stutzle, Brady Tkachuk, and Thomas Chabot, among others, are all set to make big dollars on a competitive team, is ownership going to be in a position to pay up for everyone with such a large goaltending cash commitment on the books? Obviously it's a few years away, but it would be tough to see the Senators pass on filling out the roster around their competitive young players because they have a major cash liability in the crease.
At this point, there's not much else to say. Pierre Dorion had a goal of securing the goaltending situation for his team this offseason, and he delivered. We'll have to see if the move pays off.
As always, thanks for reading.
Ottawa Senators Blogger • 
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