According to Pittsburgh Penguins general manager Jim Rutherford, there is already trade interest in Matt Murray and Tristan Jarry and the Penguins are preparing themselves to trade one of them.
Rutherford told The Athletic, “We know that there’s a very, very good chance that we’re going to have to move one of them.” He added, “There is already interest.”
While this announcement doesn’t mean fans should expect a trade tomorrow, or anytime soon, it does suggest a move is inevitable and Rutherford is testing the marketplace and gauging the possible returns for such a deal.
Josh Yohe went on to name a few potential candidates as possible trade partners. Among them were the Minnesota Wild who have made it known they are looking to upgrade in net. The Calgary Flames struggled with the combination of Cam Talbot and David Rittich and there’s no guarantee Talbot will stick around. There are also questions in Edmonton, Buffalo, and Carolina.
Rutherford mentioned that he hasn’t gotten to the point of serious conversations with any of these teams. He did concede:
“But, I will say, I’m getting close to that point, to understanding just what people are willing to give. So, we’ll see. I don’t know exactly how it’s going to go, but I can already see that there is going to be a lot of interest.”
When to Make the Trade?
Rutherford wasn’t sure when it would best to make the deal. As both players are restricted free agents, it could be beneficial to get the goaltender you intend to trade signed to a reasonable contract. But, Rutherford does say he’s not sure that’s the case. “I don’t know,” he said. “Maybe. It might be. I just don’t know how it’s all going to work out right now.”
That’s the issue with a market that is full of potentially starting goaltenders but also in a flat cap season that’s about to force some teams into make significant changes.
As it stands, most believe that Murray’s potentially higher salary demands could make the more likely trade candidate.
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