Of all the prospects that have come through the NHL and either flourished or disappeared, very few have been accompanied by higher expectations than 18-year-old defenseman Ryan Murray. He may not be as well-known as a Sidney Crosby or a Joe Thornton, but from the sound of it two teams wanted Murray so badly they were willing to wager their entire franchise to draft him.
According to Aaron Portzline of the Columbus Dispatch, the Blue Jackets turned down pretty much the biggest draft day offer you can possibly turn down before they drafted Murray on Sunday.
How highly did the Blue Jackets value defenseman Ryan Murray before taking him with the No. 2 overall pick in Friday’s first round of the NHL Draft? Enough to turn down an eye-opening offer from the New York Islanders, who, according to numerous NHL sources, offered all of their picks — one in each round — for the right to move up from No. 4 to No. 2 for Murray.
That’s right, for the Jackets’ No. 2 pick, the Islanders offered pick Nos. 4, 34, 65, 103, 125, 155 and 185. The bounty would have given the Jackets the following picks: 4, 31, 34, 62, 65, 95, 103, 125, 152, 155, 182 and 185. And if that weren’t enough, the Jackets could have had the Kings’ No. 30 if they wanted it.
Portzline also said that Columbus GM Scott Howson offered “no comment” when asked about the report Sunday night, so obviously he didn’t feel the need to deny it. If this is true, the question is which team wanted Murray more — the one who offered seven picks for him or the one who turned them down? Apparently this kid is the next Ray Bourque.
H/T Eye on Hockey
Photo credit: Charles LeClaire-US PRESSWIRE
