Fansided

5 burning questions for the Pittsburgh Penguins

By Joshua Axelrod

WASHINGTON, DC - MAY 05: Pittsburgh Penguins center Sidney Crosby (87) warms up on May 5, 2018, at the Capital One Arena in Washington, D.C. in the Second Round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs. The Washington Capitals defeated the Pittsburgh Penguins, 6-3. (Photo by Mark Goldman/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
WASHINGTON, DC - MAY 05: Pittsburgh Penguins center Sidney Crosby (87) warms up on May 5, 2018, at the Capital One Arena in Washington, D.C. in the Second Round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs. The Washington Capitals defeated the Pittsburgh Penguins, 6-3. (Photo by Mark Goldman/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) /
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PITTSBURGH, PA — MAY 07: Matt Murray #30 of the Pittsburgh Penguins defends the net against the Washington Capitals in Game Six of the Eastern Conference Second Round during the 2018 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs at PPG Paints Arena on May 7, 2018 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Joe Sargent/NHLI via Getty Images)
PITTSBURGH, PA — MAY 07: Matt Murray #30 of the Pittsburgh Penguins defends the net against the Washington Capitals in Game Six of the Eastern Conference Second Round during the 2018 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs at PPG Paints Arena on May 7, 2018 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Joe Sargent/NHLI via Getty Images) /

3. Is Matt Murray overrated?

The answer to this question could potentially be catastrophic for the Penguins. Pittsburgh gave up longtime goalie Marc-Andre Fleury to make Murray their goalie of the future, and now Fleury is content retiring in Las Vegas. The Penguins better hope they made the right decision by putting their faith in Murray.

To be fair, it was a no-brainer sticking with the 24-year-old Murray over the 33-year-old Fleury just in terms of age and potential. But while Fleury spent the 2017-18 season putting up career numbers and leading the Golden Knights to the Stanley Cup Finals, Murray’s season wasn’t quite as productive.

That’s not to say Murray had a terrible campaign. The two-time Stanley Cup champion spent the year dealing with both injuries and the death of his father, and thus only played 49 of the Penguins’ 82 games. He logged a solid-if-unspectacular .907 save percentage and the Penguins went 27-16 with him in goal.

But he also showed a propensity for giving up a worrisome amount of goals in large bunches, with the worst example coming on Oct. 5 when Murray conceded six goals to the Chicago Blackhawks during a 10-1 Penguins loss. He also gave up 12 goals in 12 playoff games for the Penguins last year, alternating between great and not-so-great performances.

Murray’s erratic play is at least partially a product of the Penguins’ sub-par defense last season, but it’s still an issue to keep an eye on next season. If he continues to look shaky, the Penguins’ hopes of returning to the Stanley Cup Final may be put on ice.

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