To say that Ryan Murray has had some highs and lows in his short NHL career would be an understatement.
He was the second overall pick in the 2012 NHL Draft, and expectations were that Murray would be a cornerstone, franchise defenseman. Five years later, we may need to adjust those expectations, but there's still no questioning that he's an NHL defenseman in every way. The Blue Jackets have one of the deepest blue lines in the NHL when he's healthy and contributing.
The recently-turned 24-year-old lost a significant chunk of ice time a year ago, the year after the Blue Jackets traded for Seth Jones and two years after they drafted Zach Werenski. Werenski climbed the depth chart faster than anticipated, and Jack Johnson and David Savard stabilized the defense by providing a legitimate shutdown pair to the Blue Jackets' back end.
Change has happened fast: in 2015-16, Murray led the team in power play ice time, logging 216:26 on the man advantage. Due to the emergence of Jones and Werenski and coupled with a new 1-3-1 power play approach (meaning just one defensemen is playing), Murray's power play time dropped to just 26:42.
Murray had a solid preseason with the club and is all but penciled in on that third pairing. If there were to be an injury in the top four, it would seem likely that Murray would slide into the role.
Scott Harrington, Gabriel Carlsson, and Markus Nutivaara are the three candidates to play alongside Murray on the third pair, and it's been confirmed that two of those three names will make the opening night squad. Carlsson, the young Swede with a bygone era's size, is seen as the leader in that position battle to play with Murray most regularly.
Per Torts, opening night roster will include 13F, 8D, 2G
— Alison (@AlisonL) September 30, 2017
Murray is a convenient name for trade rumors, and there's still absolutely a chance he's traded. He admitted to Aaron Portzline of The Athletic that he's as surprised as anyone to be in Columbus right now.
“After everything this summer, and after how last season went, I didn’t think there was a chance in hell I’d be back here.”
The constant trade rumors with the Colorado Avalanche and Matt Duchene would naturally wear on any player, but Murray is a good player and makes the Blue Jackets a better team.
If packaged in a deal to acquire a high-end center like Duchene, it will only be because the team on the other side values Murray. If he's not traded, his play is a luxury that most teams can't boast: a top-four defenseman playing nightly in a third-pairing capacity.
In Columbus or elsewhere, this is a huge year for Murray.
His team-friendly contract pays him $2.825 million this season before he becomes a restricted free agent on July 1, 2018. His future in the NHL rests on his performance this coming year, and he knows that. Jack Johnson, the elder statesman on the Blue Jackets' blue line, is set to become an unrestricted free agent next summer and Murray could easily be seen as the player to fill that void should the team let Johnson test the market.
Despite a reduced role, Murray remains an important piece for the Blue Jackets. When healthy and playing well, he's an above average defenseman and can play a low-maintenance game, which brings value to any team. He's still young enough that his game could further grow into the heavy expectations placed on him years ago.
The Blue Jackets are fortunate that they have the luxury of a player like Murray as depth on their blue line, and could work to their benefit as they open a new season later this week.
