A day after trading the face of the franchise and the team captain, the Blue Jackets have inked a player who may just become the team’s captain down the line. The team announced the signing of first round pick Ryan Murray, a defenseman out of White City, Saskatchewan.
Murray spent last season with the Western Hockey League’s Everett Silvertips. At 18 years old, he put up nine goals and 22 assists for 31 points in just 46 games played. To top off last season, Murray was selected to join Team Canada in the World Championships. He was the youngest player selected since Paul Kariya.
Murray looks to be a near lock to join the Blue Jackets out of training camp. Long before the draft where he was selected second overall by the Jackets, many scouts pegged him as the most NHL ready player, further evidenced by his selection to play among men at the World Championships.
He’ll likely split duty on the third pairing with veteran and mentor Adrian Aucoin. His main competition heading into camp is 2009 first round pick John Moore, recently acquired Tim Erixon, and up-and-coming CBJ prospect David Savard.