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Trade: Penguins send Matt Murray to Senators for prospect, pick

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Pierre McGuire, Bob McKenzie, Craig Button analyze the biggest storylines going into NHL free agency, including where Henrik Lundqvist and Alex Pietrangelo will end up.

Just as the second day of the 2020 NHL Draft got under way, the Pittsburgh Penguins and Ottawa Senators completed a trade.

Matt Murray is heading to the Senators in exchange for forward Jonathan Gruden and the 52nd overall pick in this year’s draft.

“We would like to thank Matt for everything he’s done in his five seasons with the Penguins,” said Penguins GM Jim Rutherford. “He was instrumental to our back-to-back Stanley Cup Championships, and we wish him the best.”

After back-to-back titles, Murray dealt with injury issues and then the arrival of Tristan Jarry this past season where he lost his hold on the No. 1 job. With both Jarry and Murray restricted free agents this offseason, Rutherford made his goalie decision when he re-signed Jarry last week to a three-year, $10.5M deal. That put Murray on the crowded goalie market with plenty of teams looking for help in that specific area of their lineup.

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Murray’s addition would help the Senators in net after they decided not to re-sign Craig Anderson and Anders Nilsson still dealing with a concussion suffered nearly two years ago.

“The acquisition of Matt Murray represents an important addition to our lineup,” said Senators GM Pierre Dorion. “He’s a proven goaltender who has considerable high-pressure experience and someone who we’re certain will serve as a exceptional mentor to our young group of upcoming goaltenders.”

The trade is only the first part for Dorion. The 26-year-old Murray is a restricted free agent and has arbitration rights if an extension cannot be worked out.

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Sean Leahy is a writer for Pro Hockey Talk on NBC Sports. Drop him a line at phtblog@nbcsports.com or follow him on Twitter @Sean_Leahy.