Cory Murphy Placed on Waivers

by Steve Lepore on Oct 19, 2009 3:06 PM EDT Comment 22 comments

In our recap of Friday night's 4-2 Devil loss to Atlanta, we said the following about Cory Murphy, the Devils defenseman who was absolutely undressed by Thrasher rookie Evander Kane for Atlanta's second goal, which gave them a lead that they wouldn't relinquish:

Murphy was not heard from again the rest of the night, and only played 3:49 more of the game. I will be very surprised if we see Murphy again tomorrow night against the Carolina Hurricanes. You simply cannot let that happen to you if you want to play in the NHL. He looked silly.

Well, it appears that he will not play again in the NHL, at least for some time. Tom Gulitti reports that Murphy has been waived and will be sent down to Lowell of the AHL if he goes unclaimed. Lou says that Andy Greene's play has been a key factor in Murphy being sent packing:

"Greene is going to be playing here, so we're going to send [Murphy] down so he can play regularly,"

It looks like, unless there is an emergency, we won't be seeing Cory Murphy in a Devils uniform again. No one should have one play determine their NHL future, but that combined with not being the effective power play quarterback from the point he was signed in hopes of had to factor in him riding the bus in Lowell.

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i really wished he had stayed if he could put points up at the rate he did last year (i think 25 in a small number of games?) but not for defensive compromise. Shame. He looked good in the preseason.

Now they just need to get rid of Peters and Pikkarainen if their play doesn’t improve.

by skly27 on Oct 19, 2009 3:23 PM EDT reply actions

My thoughts

Murphy didn’t impress in either of the three games he played this season, whereas Greene did. That’s really the long and short of it. Murphy will either get claimed by someone else and the Devils eat his minor salary, or he’ll get minutes to return to form. He can be called up without hitting re-entry waivers, though.

Now, will Greene continue to perform well now that he doesn’t have a defenseman right behind him; or will he fade like he did after cementing his spot ahead of Anssi Salmela last season? I’m hopeful it’ll be the former, since Greene’s looked very good in both ends with and without the puck instead of just being really hot in terms of production.

Final note: Hey, there’s now a roster spot available for Patrik Elias!

Devils in my heart! Devils in my mind! Devils in my eyes! Devils until I die!
In Lou We Trust - The Devils SBN Blog

by John Fischer on Oct 19, 2009 4:58 PM EDT reply actions

im sure there will be injurys as the season continues so unless he gets grab we will c him again.andy greene has been really really good so far.

by Imperator_Celtic on Oct 19, 2009 4:58 PM EDT reply actions

i really wish

that just once, we could see one of lou’s postlockout offseason signings work out. since the lockout he just hasn’t been the same. I’m not saying they were all complete busts, I just can’t remember any that have really stuck as legit contributors for more than a year.

First it was the relative debacles with Mogilny and Malakhov in 05-06, then Matvichuk played like 20 games from 06-08 because he was hurt, then Danius Zubrus (hasn’t been terrible, but definitely a disappointment) and Karel Rachunek (who’s now playing in Russia), and finally Brian Rolston has yet to live up to expectations.

These aren’t necessarily the best examples, or a complete list, just a few that easily came to mind.

And I understand these guys all had varying levels of expectations, and players like Mogilny and Malakhov were old, and Rachunek and Murphy were never expected to be more than role players, but I still find myself being constantly disappointed with nearly every offseason acquisition we make.

Can anyone prove me wrong and point out one person we’ve signed since the lockout who has been a pleasant surprise? the closest I can come up with would be the Janssen for Salvador trade, which was hardly a blockbuster, and the fact that Shanahan worked out well for like half a season.

by hocke26 on Oct 19, 2009 5:22 PM EDT reply actions

to clarify

i’m not saying that i wanted a mega signing this summer, or anything like that, just that it seems like a lot of times the signings, however minor, don’t live up to our hopes or even expectations. one would think that a couple would have to work out, simply by sheer luck.

by hocke26 on Oct 19, 2009 5:23 PM EDT up reply actions

Can anyone prove me wrong and point out one person we’ve signed since the lockout who has been a pleasant surprise?

Johnny Oduya and David Clarkson come to mind, so there’s two. To considerably lesser extent, Mike Mottau and Andy Greene also fit.

Rob Niedermayer, incidentally, looks good to start.

Devils in my heart! Devils in my mind! Devils in my eyes! Devils until I die!
In Lou We Trust - The Devils SBN Blog

by John Fischer on Oct 19, 2009 6:54 PM EDT up reply actions

thanks

i completely forgot that oduya and clarkson weren’t drafted by the devils. they’ve just basically been with us since the beginning of their careers, so it slipped my mind. i guess you could consider mottau and greene in that category of signings which have met or exceeded our expectations.

and you’re right, rob niedermayer has had a great start. i doubt he can keep it up, but he should do a good job filling the void madden left, at a much cheaper price.

by hocke26 on Oct 19, 2009 7:14 PM EDT up reply actions

look at it like this.

mabey its a little harder to find players for the smaller market teams with the cap.all in all i really do thigs could have gone much much worse since the lock out.not many teams could survive the free agency losses and retirments the devils have and still win three out of four division titles,up next some playoff wins?.

by Imperator_Celtic on Oct 19, 2009 7:19 PM EDT up reply actions

i agree

im very proud that we have year after year proved the pundits wrong and remained one of the top teams in the east. but, at least in my opinion, that’s more of a testament to the devils ability to draft strong, as the past few years the core of our team has been made almost exclusively with homegrown talent.

that’s not a bad thing, i also am very happy with our ability to build from within. it would just be nice if more of the guys we signed to supplement that core were able to produce like we hoped. langenbrunner was a good trade a while back, and oduya and clarkson ahve turned out well, but there are a lot more who have flopped.

by hocke26 on Oct 19, 2009 7:32 PM EDT up reply actions

Is that circus music I hear?

We all mistakes right? Although I always admire Lou and the organization for not caving to big name players with big time pay offs I am also starting to see the “you get what you pay for” syndrome more than I care to. I never saw/see the reasoning in signing players like Murphy,PL3 and Peters. Are they the comparable “impulse items” at the NHL check out line? Why do I hear circus music when I think of the seasons personnel decisions thus far?

by HELLAWAITS on Oct 19, 2009 5:47 PM EDT reply actions

off season sighnings rarley work for any team.

hey isnt neidermayer one third the price of madden,have u watched any games this year that was a steal(least so far).the best way to land a overated player for way to much money is to sighn a player in the off season,they are almost alway rejects in the first place.all of the great devils i can rember came from the draft,and went threw traing and conditioning in the minors to take up a specific role.there wuz one exception i can clearly rember some guy who cm from the capitals in the early 90’s i think he wore #4.

by Imperator_Celtic on Oct 19, 2009 6:16 PM EDT reply actions

Johnny Oduya has been decent.

speaking of ex-Capital defensemen.

although, technically, Scott Stevens spent a year in St Louis before coming to New Jersey. he was “awarded” to the Devils once Shanahan skipped town.

by dwfma on Oct 19, 2009 6:44 PM EDT up reply actions

yea i for got that st.louis when i was posting,i member him from the capitals cause i live in there market so i can rember how mad i was for them letting him walk.

by Imperator_Celtic on Oct 19, 2009 7:04 PM EDT up reply actions

first off smarty pants, you made a good point until you went all sarcastic and pompous on us. Neidemayer has been a good signing, however its a small sample size. And your take on free agency is definitely a theory some believe in. However where you begin to tailspin is when you bring up stevens. He wasnt a free agent. He was compensation for the Shanahan tampering. And what makes it even more irrelevant was that was 18 YEARS AGO! We are talking post lockout. This is why nobody has mentioned the Lyle Odelien signing.

by they can take a player but not the core on Oct 19, 2009 6:46 PM EDT up reply actions

the tampering came later.

I think the tampering charge came later, when Stevens was a free agent and the Blues tried to get him back. St Louis allegedly jumped the gun by talking to Stevens and agreeing to a new contract a few days before the free agency period officially began.

by dwfma on Oct 19, 2009 6:56 PM EDT up reply actions

Wasn’t there two tampering charges? First for Shanahan which led to the Devils choosing any Blue as compensation (note that Lou chose Stevens over Brett Hull) and then later which led to the Devils swapping with the Blues’ first round spot in some drafts?

Devils in my heart! Devils in my mind! Devils in my eyes! Devils until I die!
In Lou We Trust - The Devils SBN Blog

by John Fischer on Oct 19, 2009 6:59 PM EDT up reply actions

I thought it was Rob Brindamore? I never heard of Hull being offered up as compensation.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scott_Stevens

by thatguy011071 on Oct 19, 2009 8:07 PM EDT up reply actions

Stevens would not have the opportunity to continue his success in St. Louis. In the offseason following the 1990–91 NHL season, the Blues signed Brendan Shanahan from the New Jersey Devils.12 Like Stevens the year before, Shanahan was a restricted free agent, and thus the Devils were entitled to compensation. The teams could not agree on what the compensation was; the Blues offered goalie Curtis Joseph, forward Rod Brind’Amour, and two draft picks, but the Devils wanted Stevens.12 The case went to arbitration, and a judge ruled that Stevens was to be awarded to the Devils in September 1991.1 18 Stevens ended the year winning the Canada Cup with Team Canada.

by thatguy011071 on Oct 19, 2009 8:08 PM EDT up reply actions

? what was pompus about that.

if that came off sarcstic some how i didnt mean it to be i have always thought that its rare to find a player in free angency that is still in there prime,and wants a reasonable wage.if they were both of those things the team they were leaving would probably be keeping them.there are exceptions but they seem rare.

by Imperator_Celtic on Oct 19, 2009 7:10 PM EDT up reply actions