Sabres GM on failed Murray deal: 'We want players who want to be here'
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Sabres general manager Kevyn Adams is ready to move on after Ottawa Senators goaltender Matt Murray declined to waive his no-trade clause for a move to the Buffalo.
The two teams had a deal lined up that would have seen the two teams flip first-round picks, with the Sabres moving up No. 7 for the No. 16 overall selection, with the Senators also retaining salary. Murray, however, has Buffalo on his 10-team no-trade list and declined to waive for the move.
"I don't want to get too much into specifics," Adams said after the first round of the draft on Thursday. "The reality is we worked hard on a deal, but players have the ability when it's in their contract to make those decisions. And we want players who want to be here. That's the way we believe, so we move on."
The Senators wound up eventually dealing the No. 7 overall pick the Chicago Blackhawks as part of their package to land winger Alex DeBrincat. The Sabres held on to the 16th pick, selecting Noah Ostlund, who joined Matthew Savoie (No. 9 overall) and Jiri Kulich at (No. 28) in the team's first-round draft class.
Adams said the Sabres, who re-signed Craig Anderson on a one-year deal last month, will continue to look for another goaltender this summer.
“We’ll be in different conversations, for sure,” Adams said. “I think we feel that anything we do we want to do it being smart and making sure that we’re planning how we’re building out a roster. But we’ve done the work. …
“A big piece of this was Craig Anderson believing in the team he has in front of him, that he can come back, he’s feeling good, he’s healthy, and where we feel (restricted free agent Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen) is at his development. I had a good meeting with his agent today just to talk about that, where he’s projecting down the road.”
Murray has been limited to just 47 starts over his first two seasons in Ottawa since signing a four-year, $25 million contract with an average annual value of $6.25 million.
The 28-year-old recorded a .906 save percentage and 3.05 goals-against average in 20 games this past season while missing significant time with an upper-body injury.