The Edmonton Oilers have signed defenseman Ryan Murray to a one-year deal with a league minimum salary of $750,000.
Murray was an unrestricted free agent after finishing a one-year contract worth $2 million that he signed with the Colorado Avalanche. He is a former second overall pick from the 2012 NHL draft, which brings an interesting connection to the Oilers as they had the first pick in that draft and went with Nail Yakupov, who played just six seasons and 350 games in the NHL. Murray has had a bit more success in his NHL career, aside from his struggles to stay healthy, with 432 games across nine seasons.
Murray wasn’t a consistent lineup option for the Avalanche in 2021-22, although they did win the Stanley Cup, so they had quite a few options to choose from ahead of him. He had just four assists in the 37 games that he managed to play, and didn’t play in the playoffs for them, even with the injury to Samuel Girard.
However, Murray is known more for his defensive contributions than for his offense. He’s been a reliable defender, particularly in those peak years for the Columbus Blue Jackets when their defensive system thrived under John Tortorella. He did struggle with the Avs in 2021-22, with just a 50.22% shot attempt share and a 50.07% expected goal share at even strength. Those numbers seem good on the surface, but relative to his teammates, they were -4.97% and -4.48% respectively, so it helped playing for a dominant team like the Avs.
For the Oilers, Murray provides experience and depth to their blueline, something still needed despite some strong steps forward in 2021-22. It comes with little cap impact at league minimum, which helps for a team that sits about $400,000 over the cap with Oskar Klefbom and Mike Smith’s contracts on long-term injured reserve, and one restricted free agent in Ryan McLeod left to sign.
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