THREE THINGS: Meet Murray

Bringing in defenseman Ryan Murray was the first move that General Manager Tom Fitzgerald made as the 2020 draft came to a close and the league was heading into free agency. The night before the opening of free agency, Fitzgerald received a call from Columbus general manager Jarmo Kekalainen who had an offer. That offer was Murray, a player the Devils had an interest in earlier in the year. Fitzgerald pulled the trigger, sending a fifth-round pick in 2021 the other way, and secured himself a defenseman he believes can help "stabilize the left side with size and mobility" and added, "the way he can transition pucks and play with either PK [Subban] or [Damon] Severson."
For more on the newest Devils defenseman, here are Three Things: Ryan Murray, presented by Wawa.

1. NUMBER 27 NO MORE

Ryan Murray comes into the Devils fold with an appreciation for the Devils of the past, particularly one defenseman whose jersey hangs atop Prudential Center. It appears there's a reason behind Murray's number 27 jersey while with Columbus.
"He was definitely one of my favorite players," Murray said of Devils great Scott Niedermayer. "My dad kind of pointed him out when I was younger and obviously, he was one of the best players, so he was an easy guy to like and watch."
"It's hard not to be fond of a guy like that and how he plays and everything you hear about him as a person," Murray continued, "So obviously, he did some great things in Jersey. But yeah, definitely gonna have to change my number this season."

2. BACK IN BUSINESS

Murray has faced a myriad of injuries over his career, limiting him to just one season of a full 82 games, back in 2015-16. It has been Murray's back that has given him the most trouble early on in his career but knows that is well behind him. Murray has recently worked with Dr. Stuart McGill in Toronto. McGill has been at the helm of a clinic that "investigated issues related to the causal mechanisms of back pain, how to rehabilitate back-pained people and enhance both injury resilience and performance" according to his website biography.
"Stuart McGill, he really clarified a lot of things for me just in day-to-day life," Murray said, answering questions about his health. "Staying on top of it is the most important thing, and it's obviously an everyday thing from here on out."
It's also not a worry for general manager Tom Fitzgerald.
"He's a good defensive-minded player that transitions pucks. So that right there definitely helps us in that department. Ryan has had some back issues in the past, 'Hockey Back', we call it," Fitzgerald assured. "It's a big year for him. He's got to be on the ice if he wants to potentially turn his year into something prosperous for him. We talked at length and he feels great."

3. FAMILIAR FACE

When Murray found out that he was being traded he was back at home in Saskatchewan, Canada, after several weeks in the NHL bubble.
He won't be the only Saskatchewan native on the Devils blueline. He joins Damon Severson as Saskatchewan boys on the Devils roster. Both in fact were drafted in 2012 and played against each other growing up, as well as in the Western Hockey League when Severson played for Kelowna and Murray played in Everett, Washington.
The two were immediately in touch.
"I just called him there last night," Murray said the day after the trade. "Right when I heard and then we just talked, you know, pretty quickly. I just kind of texted him and said, 'Yeah, let's catch up the next couple days.' Just to ask about the city and living arrangement, stuff like that. Just a lot of questions like that. So, it's good to definitely have a contact like Damon, he's a great guy. I'm really looking forward to playing with him."

AND ONE MORE THING...

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