The speculation around Columbus Blue Jackets defenseman Ryan Murray ran rampant all summer along as his name was attached to rumored trades. Those deals never came to fruition, and the Blue Jackets may be better for it.
On a regular pairing this season with Markus Nutivaara, the two have become a pairing to be relied upon with larger responsibility and tougher assignments. They're not a group that needs to be sheltered when the game gets to the waning minutes, which wasn't the case a year ago.
"They've earned that ice time," said head coach John Tortorella. "I think there are a couple of guys, I think there are four or five guys [that have] overachieved this year or played better than last year, I guess I should say, and those are two of them."
It isn't hard to see why the pairing has seen more ice time as of late when seeing that they regularly win the shot differential battle while getting a fairly even split for zone starts. They don't get favored one way or another, showing that they have true versatility.
Tortorella has always liked Nutivaara's puck-moving ability, but this year, he's gone beyond that and is showing signs of maturity; he's jumping up in the play and also getting pucks on goal (which led to Josh Anderson's opening goal on Tuesday in Montreal). It's made the coach's lineup decision a bit easier.
"The days of getting a healthy defenseman and taking Nuti (Nutivaara) out are over," said Tortorella. "He's playing at a different plane."
Nutivaara is close to passing his career-high in points only a quarter of the way into the season, and he's third among Blue Jackets defensemen in assists.
"Fom camp right on through here, [Murray] has been a really good player," said Tortorella. "Basically for a lot of the games lately, they've been our No. 2, second pair."
Both are playing at a sustainable level and finding success. It has helped stabilize a Blue Jackets defense that has been trying to find its footing in recent weeks. As various players begin to rebound from early season slumps, Murray and Nutivaara won't grab headlines. Their solid play will just speak for itself.
