Pierre Dorion had already received calls about the 33rd pick in the NHL draft moments after the first round ended Tuesday night.
The Ottawa Senators general manager didn’t end up parting with that selection, but still made a big splash to kick off what should be an interesting period across the league with a flat salary cap and the financial unknowns related to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Dorion shored up his team’s crease by acquiring goalie Matt Murray from the Pittsburgh Penguins for forward prospect Jonathan Gruden and this year’s 52nd pick prior to the start of Wednesday’s second round.
A two-time Stanley Cup champion with Pittsburgh, the 26-year-old Murray ranks third all-time on the Penguins in victories (117) and shutouts (11). The rebuilding Senators desperately needed to address position after announcing last month they wouldn’t be offering a contract to 39-year-old Craig Anderson, while the health of backup netminder Anders Nilsson remains a big question mark.
Murray is set to become a restricted free agent Friday after completing a three-year, US$11.25-million contract.
“The acquisition of Matt Murray represents an important addition to our lineup,” Dorion said in a statement. “He’s a proven goaltender who has considerable high-pressure experience and someone who we’re certain will serve as an exceptional mentor to our young group of upcoming goaltenders. ”
There are plenty of big names available this year when free agency officially opens, but Rob Pizzo says plenty of teams may have new goalies when next season starts.
Unlike a number of teams pressed tight to the $81.5-million cap expected to stay put for some time because of the pandemic’s financial realities, Ottawa has both room and assets to manoeuvre if it sees fit.
The Senators entered Wednesday with nine picks remaining in the draft, including four second-round selections and two third-rounders after grabbing forward Tim Stuetzle at No. 3, defenceman Jake Sanderson at No. 5 and centre Ridly Greig at No. 28 on Tuesday.
After dealing for Murray, Ottawa selected Finnish winger Roby Jarventie at No. 33 before acquiring the 44th pick from the Toronto Maple Leafs for Nos. 59 and 64. The Senators used that slot to snag defenceman Tyler Kleven from the U.S. under-18 program and the University of North Dakota. Sanderson, fellow blue-liner Jacob Bernard-Docker, who Ottawa took at No. 26 in 2018, and centre Shane Pinto — the 32nd pick by the Senators in 2019 — are all members of the Fighting Hawks in U.S. college hockey.
“I honestly had no idea where I was going to go in the draft and I’m so thankful to be picked by Ottawa,” Kleven said on a video conference call with reporters. “I think that they really like the style of play here at North Dakota.”
Predators ship Bonino
After just two trades involving draft picks during Tuesday’s first round, Wednesday’s second deal involving established NHLers came down when the Nashville Predators shipped centre Nick Bonino and two 2020 picks (Nos. 37 and 70) to the Minnesota Wild for forward Luke Kunin and the 101st selection.
The Winnipeg Jets got some business of their own done earlier in the day by inking defenceman and pending unrestricted free agent Dylan DeMelo to a four-year, $12-million contract extension. The Jets acquired DeMelo from Ottawa prior to February’s trade deadline for a third-round pick (77th overall) this year.
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A native of Thunder Bay, Ont., Murray was selected 83rd overall by Pittsburgh in 2012. Over 199 career games, he has a record of 117-53-19 to go along with a .914 save percentage and a 2.67 goals-against average.
But he had a sub-par 2019-20, with a 20-11-5 mark, an .899 save percentage and a 2.87 GAA.
The writing was on the wall in Pittsburgh for Murray, who has also appeared in 51 career post-season contests, when the club signed fellow pending restricted free agent Tristan Jarry to a three-year, $10.5-million extension over the weekend.
“We would like to thank Matt for everything he’s done in his five seasons with the Penguins,” Pittsburgh GM Jim Rutherford said in a statement. “He was instrumental to our back-to-back Stanley Cup championships, and we wish him the best.”
Gruden, 20, played spent last season with the London Knights of the Ontario Hockey League, where he recorded 30 goals and 66 points in 59 games. Selected 95th overall by Ottawa in 2018, Gruden played one season of U.S. college hockey with Miami University (Ohio), putting up three goals at 15 points in 38 games.
EDMONTON – The Edmonton Oilers signed defenceman Travis Dermott to a professional tryout on Friday.
Dermott, a 27-year-old from Newmarket, Ont., produced two goals, five assists and 26 penalty minutes in 50 games with the Arizona Coyotes last season.
The six-foot, 202-pound blueliner has also played for the Vancouver Canucks and Toronto Maple Leafs.
Toronto drafted him in the second round, 34th overall, of the 2015 NHL draft.
Over seven NHL seasons, Dermott has 16 goals and 46 assists in 329 games while averaging 16:03 in ice time.
Before the NHL, Dermott played two seasons with Oilers captain Connor McDavid for the Ontario Hockey League’s Erie Otters. The team was coached by current Edmonton head coach Kris Knoblauch.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 13, 2024.
NEWPORT, R.I. (AP) — Maria Sharapova, a five-time Grand Slam singles champion, led the International Tennis Hall of Fame’s fan vote her first year on the ballot — an important part to possible selection to the hall’s next class.
The organization released the voting results on Friday. American doubles team Bob and Mike Bryan finished second with Canada’s Daniel Nestor third.
The Hall of Fame said tens of thousands of fans from 120 countries cast ballots. Fan voting is one of two steps in the hall’s selection process. The second is an official group of journalists, historians, and Hall of Famers from the sport who vote on the ballot for the hall’s class of 2025.
“I am incredibly grateful to the fans all around the world who supported me during the International Tennis Hall of Fame’s fan votes,” Sharapova said in a statement. “It is a tremendous honor to be considered for the Hall of Fame, and having the fans’ support makes it all the more special.”
Sharapova became the first Russian woman to reach No. 1 in the world. She won Wimbledon in 2004, the U.S. Open in 2006 and the Australian Open in 2008. She also won the French Open twice, in 2012 and 2014.
Sharapova was also part of Russia’s championship Fed Cup team in 2008 and won a silver medal at the London Olympics in 2012.
To make the hall, candidates must receive 75% or higher on combined results of the official voting group and additional percentage from the fan vote. Sharapova will have an additional three percentage points from winning the fan vote.
The Bryans, who won 16 Grand Slam doubles titles, will have two additional percentage points and Nestor, who won eight Grand Slam doubles titles, will get one extra percentage point.
The hall’s next class will be announced late next month.
PHILADELPHIA (AP) — The driver charged with killing NHL hockey player Johnny Gaudreau and his brother Matthew as they bicycled on a rural road had a blood-alcohol level of .087, above the .08 legal limit in New Jersey, a prosecutor said Friday.
Gaudreau, 31, and brother Matthew, 29, were killed in Carneys Point, New Jersey, on Aug. 29, the evening before they were set to serve as groomsmen at their sister Katie’s wedding.
The driver, 43-year-old Sean M. Higgins of nearby Woodstown, New Jersey, is charged with two counts of death by auto, along with reckless driving, possession of an open container and consuming alcohol in a motor vehicle. At a virtual court hearing Friday, a judge ordered that he be held for trial after prosecutors described a history of alleged road rage and aggressive driving.
“’You were probably driving like a nut like I always tell you you do. And you don’t listen to me, instead you just yell at me,’” his wife told Higgins when he called her from jail after his arrest, according to First Assistant Prosecutor Jonathan Flynn of Salem County.
The defense described Higgins as a married father and law-abiding citizen before the crash.
“He’s an empathetic individual and he’s a loving father of two daughters,” said defense lawyer Matthew Portella. “He’s a good person and he made a horrible decision that night.”
Higgins told police he had five or six beers that day and admitted to consuming alcohol while driving, according to the criminal complaint. He also failed a field sobriety test, the complaint said. A prosecutor on Friday said he had been drinking at home after finishing a work call at about 3 p.m., and having an upsetting conversation with his mother about a family matter.
He then had a two-hour phone call with a friend while he drove around in his Jeep with an open container, Flynn said. He had been driving aggressively behind a sedan going just above the 50 mph speed limit, sometimes tailgating, the female driver told police.
When she and the vehicle ahead of her slowed down and veered left to go around the cyclists, Higgins sped up and veered right, striking the Gaudreas, the two other drivers told police.
“He indicated he didn’t even see them,” said Superior Court Judge Michael J. Silvanio, who said Higgins’ admitted “impatience” caused two deaths.
Higgins faces up to 20 years, a sentence that the judge said made him a flight risk.
Higgins has a master’s degree, works in finance for an addiction treatment company, and served in combat in Iraq, his lawyers said. However, his wife said he had been drinking regularly since working from home, Flynn said.
Johnny Gaudreau, known as “Johnny Hockey,” played 10 full seasons in the league and was set to enter his third with the Columbus Blue Jackets after signing a seven-year, $68 million deal in 2022. He played his first eight seasons with the Calgary Flames, a tenure that included becoming one of the sport’s top players and a fan favorite across North America.
Widows Meredith and Madeline Gaudreau described their husbands as attached at the hip throughout their lives. Both women are expecting, and both gave moving eulogies at the double funeral on Monday.
