Stars sign goaltender Matt Murray to one-year contract

Yes, there are now two of them.

The Dallas Stars have signed goaltender Matt Murray to a one-year entry-level contract, helping to fill the gap after Jake Oettinger went down with an injury this past weekend.

Murray, 24, has a 7-3-0 record in 11 games with the AHL’s Texas Stars, including a 2-2-0 record with a shutout in five games this season. He has outperformed 2020 Stanley Cup playoff bubble star Anton Khudobin so far, and Khudboin’s $3.33 million cap hit made him too expensive for an NHL call-up.

Murray had a successful five-year run with UMass of the NCAA, posting a 73-39-4 record with 14 shutouts over 121 games. Murray won three Hockey East championships and was an overall NCAA champion in 2020-21 while sharing the net with Pittsburgh Penguins prospect Filip Lindberg.

Prior to college, Murray went the Jr. A route, winning the CJHL and AJHL’s top goaltender awards in 2015-16 while a member of the Spruce Grove Saints. That same season, he helped Canada West win gold at the World Junior A Challenge. Murray posted a 37-5-3 record with five shutouts in two AJHL seasons, making him one of the best Jr. A goalies of his time.

Murray was ultimately undrafted in the NHL before signing an AHL deal with Texas last year.

This Matt Murray isn’t to be confused with Toronto’s Matt Murray – also a goaltender – who is currently on long-term injured reserve. The Leafs and Stars meet up next on Dec. 6, but Murray will likely be back in the AHL once Oettinger returns from his lower-body injury.