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Matt Murray To Miss Start of NHL Season

September 24, 2016, 11:45 AM ET [57 Comments]
Ryan Wilson
Pittsburgh Penguins Blogger • RSSArchiveCONTACT
The Pittsburgh Penguins will know their starting goaltender for opening night. The team has the luxury of having two NHL caliber goaltenders who have both shown the ability to play at a high level. One of the biggest talking points heading into the season is the workload that Matt Murray and Marc-Andre Fleury will receive in 2016-17. That workload is going to be one-sided for a little bit of time. Matt Murray won't be ready for the start of the Penguins season.




Matt Murray injured what appeared to be his thumb during Team North America's game against Russia. He said as much after the game when he stated he had a jammed thumb. He did not play well and perhaps this was the cause. Regardless, the Penguins will be without his services for a bit.

Having Marc-Andre Fleury on the roster certainly helps with absorbing this injury. Although truth be told even if Fleury wasn't around the team would be OK. They are so good at driving play even slightly below average goaltending would get them by for 3-6 weeks. Just look at how Dallas got by in the regular season last year with 27th ranked goaltending.

That said, it is a nice opportunity for Fleury to jump back into game action uninterrupted after dual concussions cost him his job last year (and potentially the future).

Certain folks are going to be upset that Murray is going to miss time because of the World Cup of Hockey. I have enjoyed the World Cup of Hockey and injuries like this don't change my opinion about that. These players are human beings who have free will. If they want to play hockey for their respective countries I will always fully support that. Nobody is forcing them to join these national teams to play. They want to. That is good enough for me. Only selfish fans would be upset and hold a grudge against a player for doing something that they enjoy.

The injury isn't ideal but it should have no impact on the Penguins for the short or long term.

Thanks for reading!
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