EDMONTON, AB – From a Stanley Cup champion to a Stanley Cup contender, defenseman Ryan Murray is bringing some extra championship intangibles to the locker room of the Edmonton Oilers this season.
Murray lifted hockey’s holy grail with the Colorado Avalanche last season and hopes to repeat the feat in Blue & Orange this upcoming campaign as a veteran on the back end who leads by example and can be relied upon in the minutes he’s given with the diverse toolkit he has at his disposal.
“Obviously coming off a Cup run with Colorado was a great experience for him,” Head Coach Jay Woodcroft said. “You see his skillset. I think his assets are the ability to get back to pucks quickly and break them out.
“He’s working his way through Training Camp here and he’s left a good impression so far.”
Video: RAW | Ryan Murray 10.02.22
Murray carries with him the pedigree of a second-overall pick in 2012, a Stanley Cup champion, and a veteran of 432 games with three NHL Cubs over 10 seasons — a total that’s been limited due to injuries over his career. “It’s tough sometimes,” he said. You’ve got to hit the reset button sometimes with the injuries.”
Coming into Camp on the back of a Cup run with Colorado and a productive offseason, Murray feels he’s put himself in a position to play an important role and plenty of games for the Oilers this year.
“I felt like I had a really good summer,” he said. “The body is feeling good and no complaints on that end. I put in a lot of work this summer with weights and everything else getting my body to a place where it needs to be. I feel like it’s in a place where I can compete fairly well out there, so I feel really good.”
Coach Woodcroft sees a blueliner who’s had to battle through injuries over his career and one that’s made an impact on the group in the two-plus weeks of Training Camp so far.
“I think what it does is it offers you perspective; that things aren’t always going to go according to script or according to plan,” Woodcroft said. So you have to have a level of persistence and stick-to-it-iveness about you. I know he’s a determined player and wants to play as many games as possible. He’s working hard to be as healthy as he can and he’s had a good training camp.”
Video: RAW | Jay Woodcroft 10.02.22
The Regina, SK product can also add to his resume being part of Team North America at the 2012 World Cup of Hockey where he first rubbed shoulders with Woodcroft, who was an assistant coach under Todd McLellan.
“Any time you add quality veteran leadership, I think it helps in what you’re trying to achieve,” Woodcroft said. “He’s a young man that’s played in the League for a long time, so any time you add a person of his experience level, I think it benefits the organization as a whole.”
Where the Oilers can benefit the most from Murray’s leadership is in the crop of up-and-coming defensemen that includes the likes of Philip Broberg and Dmitri Samorukovboth of whom have played in a pairing alongside the veteran this preseason.
“We’ve got some good young kids here that can play,” Murray said. “All the guys at this camp have impressed me. There’s a lot of skill, a lot of guys that can move the puck and play the game, so it’s been fun playing with those guys.”