Sens’ Murray understands decision to leave him exposed in expansion draft

Goaltender Matt Murray wasn’t surprised when he saw his name left off the Ottawa Senators’ protected list for the Seattle Kraken expansion draft, his agent Robert Hooper told the Ottawa Sun’s Bruce Garrioch on Sunday.

The Sens chose to protect 23-year-old netminder Filip Gustavsson over the two-time Stanley Cup winner. With tempting options on the table such as the Montreal Canadiens’ Carey Price or the Vancouver Canucks’ Braden Holtby, the Sens don't think the Kraken will be looking Murray's way when it’s time to pick their team on Wednesday.

"Matt gets it 100% and he’s fine with it," Hooper said. "Pierre (Dorion) explained to Matt that they don’t want to lose him and based on their educated guess they don’t believe they will. The Senators don’t feel this will be a big risk to the team."

Murray struggled in his first year in Ottawa, putting up a career-worst .893 save percentage across 27 games and minus-12.81 goals saved above expected at five-on-five, according to Evolving Hockey. He has three years left on a deal that carries an annual cap hit of $6.25 million.

Murray was hampered by injury throughout the 2020-21 season but did have a promising stretch in April before a lower-body issue ended his campaign early. Gustavsson stepped up for the Sens, registering a sparkling .933 save percentage across nine games.

Despite the hardships, Murray is looking forward to giving it another go in Canada’s capital with the young squad.

"He’s very focused on getting off to a great start and being healthy. He’s very excited about that team and the young talent they have," Hooper said. "He believes that each year they’re going to get better and better."