Penguins GM Comments on Goalie Trade Rumors

According to NHL.com, Pittsburgh Penguins general manager Jim Rutherford is aware of the talk surrounding a potential goaltender move out of Pittsburgh. Speculation is that he may have to choose one of either Matt Murray or Tristan Jarry and aware it’s a difficult decision, has finally broached the subject with The Athletic’s Josh Yohe.

The Penguins have over $68 million committed to next season’s roster, meaning any decision on the future of the organization in net won’t be easy. Compounded with the fact that the season ended early and the Penguins didn’t get a good look at either coming down the stretch and into the playoffs complicates the matter.

Murray is the consensus trade option among most insiders: he makes the most money and might garner the Penguins the highest return in trade. Still, Murray has backstopped the team during two Stanley Cup runs. In a perfect world, the Penguins wouldn’t have to get rid of either.

Rutherford said:

“I’ll say this: If we are going to keep both of them, we’d have to move a few things around on our team. There is a way to do things and to make that work, yes. There are some very, very tough decisions ahead.

Penguins Believe Cap Will Drop

The NHL hasn’t informed teams of where the salary cap will sit next season. As such, some GM’s are working under the assumption things will stay flat. Others, like Murray, are operating as if it will drop. “We know that much,” Rutherford said. “It’s certainly not going up.”

If he believes that to be true, the Penguins will have more moves to make than just deciding on a goaltender. That also makes Jarry to more likely option to stick around.

What could be interesting to watch is what the market for goalies looks like. Typically, there are far more goalies than there are needs for them. Jonathan Willis of The Athletic points out that Antti Ranta, Jake Allen and Alexandar Georgiev may be the players also available in trade. Willis labeled Murray and Georgiev as the two who could fetch the most.

Related: How Maple Leafs Might Approach Morgan Rielly Extension