There were rumors of Ryan Murray being on the trading block during the offseason. There were also rumors that he would not be protected during the expansion draft. Later, he was reportedly part of the deal that the Columbus Blue Jackets were offering the Colorado Avalanche in exchange for Matt Duchene.
He had gone from being on the first pairing with Seth Jones during the latter half of the 2015-16 season to third pairing in 2016-17. To say that he was not living up to the expectations of the fans was putting it nicely.
But now, still out with an injury for almost a month, Ryan Murray is proving just how valuable he is for the Columbus Blue Jackets.
Ryan Murray Proving his Value to the Columbus Blue Jackets
Impact on the Ice
Murray during the games he has played in has been paired with a few different defensemen. He’s been paired with Markus Nutivaara, Gabriel Carlsson, and Scott Harrington. While the other defensemen range in skill and abilities, Murray has thrived playing on the third-pairing for a second straight season. While he and Nutivaara have chemistry having played together last season, it’s easy to say that while paired with Carlsson or Harrington, Murray carries the third pairing.
Out of the four players who have played on the third pairing, the only one with a better relative Corsi-for percentage is Nutivaara, 0.55%. Murray’s relative CF% is a 0.13%. While the Blue Jackets don’t necessarily play better with Murray and Nutivaara, they are given a better chance to than with Harrington or Carlsson.
Murray’s Corsi-for is a 52.8%, meaning the Blue Jackets were more likely than not controlling the puck while he was on the ice. His CF% quality of competition is a 50.26%; meaning he’s still playing against tough competition and Columbus is still controlling the puck.
Head Coach John Tortorella has consistently shown his faith in Ryan Murray. Tortorella’s been known to put Murray out with Seth Jones in close games towards the end. This sometimes also results in benching Zach Werenski in favor of Murray – a very big seal of approval from Tortorella. Another sign that Tortorella trusts Murray is that he starts him more often in the defensive zone than the offensive-zone. Murray starts in the defensive-zone 50.9% of the time. Compared to Nutivaara at 48.8 percent of the time.
Fewer Minutes, Better Results
During the 2015-16 season, Ryan Murray averaged his highest average-time-on-ice with almost 23 minutes a night. For the first half of the season, Murray was playing mostly with Jack Johnson or David Savard, neither of whom are first-pairing defensemen.
Despite playing on the first pairing Murray’s relative CF% was a hard-to-swallow -0.75% at even strength. Before the trade for Seth Jones, those numbers were probably worse. Once Ryan Murray and Jones started playing together it made an immediate impact. Columbus still finished 27th overall, but the pairing of Jones and Murray was a first-pairing Columbus could get excited about.
Even while playing fewer minutes, Murray has played much better. It’s easy to say that Murray’s defensive game has improved from two years ago.
Impact Off the Ice
The loss of Ryan Murray has proved to be a harder spot to fill than expected. It also does not help that Johnson and Savard look lost and a ghost of the pairing they were last season.
The third pairing’s seen Carlsson, Nutivaara, and Harrington all slot in with Murray injured.
I did write about that Carlsson should not be overlooked compared to other rookies on the Columbus Blue Jackets. However, Carlsson needs more time in Cleveland refining his talents before being able to make a more substantial impact in Columbus. His minutes so far have been sheltered and even then his numbers, a relative CF% of -2.8, are nothing great.
Nutivaara has been performing the best out of the three. He’s been proving that he deserves to be in the line-up every game. Harrington’s numbers are worse than Carlsson’s, proving that he should be nothing more than a seventh defenseman. There’s also the fact that Columbus has given up at least five goals in three of the last four games. This team desperately needs Ryan Murray back to bring a balance to the third pairing.
Murray is not only capable but reliable in tough situations. This is something the Jacket’s defensive corps needs. At the midpoint of the season, Ryan Murray is proving his value to the Columbus Blue Jackets.
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