TRADE. Pens Get Douglas Murray

Earlier today it was announced that the Penguins have acquired Douglas Murray from the San Jose Sharks.  Murray is 6'3" 245 pound stay at home, physical defenseman that the Pens needed.  We don't know much about Murray so we asked Sharks fan @chrissampang on twitter for a little info on him.

2003 draft pick, 2005 debut - same night as Joe Thornton's first
Sharks game! - Doug (well, now Douglas) Murray has always maintained a
reputation for being a battering ram on the ice.  Didn't exactly earn
his nickname "Crankshaft" for nothing, as this highlight video shows:

At one point, he was poised to be the top defenseman on the team, when
the Sharks led the Pacific Division midway through 2011-12.  Then this
happened:

Since then, two noticeable weaknesses have crept up in his game:

- His speed, which was never great to begin with, has been reduced to
a precipitous degree.  This shouldn't be a problem if Murray is given
selective minutes, but with the Sharks he had only moved down to the
2nd pairing...the extended time on ice contributed to fatigue and
declined effectiveness.  Not the type of player you can expect to win
races to the puck...ever.

- On rushes against (one example last year immediately after his
injury was a game vs. Edmonton where he misplayed a 2 on 2 and helped
provided a screen for Ryan Whitney), he basically freezes up and
becomes a moving pylon.  Not as bad as Colin White was, but certainly
not quite as sharp positionally as in the past.

As long as he is placed in games specifically as a hitting
machine...he's golden.  And with the Pens roster pretty set even
before the deal, it's easy to see how Murray as a 5th defenseman has
already earned his comparisons to Hal Gill.

So Murray definitely has a couple of weaknesses in his game.  But so does every player.  There aren't many defensemen in the league quite like Murray and he should fit in quite nicely with the Pens.

Go Pens