It was a busy afternoon for the Ottawa Senators. First they placed goaltender Matt Murray on waivers with the intent of sending him to Belleville to regain his form. Next they claimed former Hobey Baker award winner Adam Gaudette off waivers from the Chicago Blackhawks. And they still have a game against the Los Angeles Kings this evening as well.
Murray has struggled out of the gate in 2021 posting a 3.26 GAA and .890 SV% in 6 games thus far. His 2020 wasn’t much better, however he did show flashes of his former self down the stretch as Ottawa went 10-3-1 in its final 14 games to close out the year.
The 27 year old netminder is a 2 time Stanley Cup champion who is in the 2nd year of a 4yr/$25M contract signed with Ottawa following a trade with Pittsburgh. The Senators sent forward Jonathan Gruden and the 52nd overall pick in the 2020 draft to the Penguins in exchange for Murray.
Speaking to the media Senators coach DJ Smith stated “By no means is this on Matt Murray. We want him to be the best goalie possible and give him the best chance. He’s had a lot of injuries and there’s nothing you can do about it. He’s missed a lot of time and he hasn’t been able to get into a rhythm. This is about getting his game back.”
In an unrelated move Ottawa also claimed winger Adam Gaudette off waivers from Chicago. Gaudette has 58pts (23G, 35A) in 168 NHL games, but has struggled to find regular playing time in Chicago the last two seasons.
A former college player of the year in 2017-18 for Northeastern University, Ottawa is hoping he can regain the scoring touch that earned him the Hobey Baker nod 3 years ago. Ottawa tries to snap a 4 game skid against the Los Angeles Kings on Saturday night.