The first professional season for Carolina Hurricanes defenseman Ryan Murphy began strong, faltered late and answered few questions about the former first-round pick's future.
Murphy, the 12th overall selection in the 2011 NHL draft, appeared in 48 games—but only 10 in the second half of the season—for Carolina in 2013-14.
His final NHL total of 12 points fell far short of expectations for the offensive defenseman and power-play specialist, especially considering his 48 points in 54 OHL games in 2012-13.
Despite the benefit of starting 60.9 percent of his shifts in the offensive zone, Murphy still fell in the negatives in shot-attempt differential (Corsi rating), per Extra Skater data.
Murphy blossomed as a blue-line playmaking machine in the AHL, scoring at a point-per-game pace as he spent the majority of the spring with the Charlotte Checkers.
But a worrisome trend is emerging: The undersized 5'11", 185-pound defenseman consistently dominates against lesser competition, but such success has not yet been duplicated or even briefly flashed in the big leagues.
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Read Full Article at Bleacher Report - NHL
Article written by Mark Jones
Carolina Hurricanes Need a Breakout NHL Season from Ryan Murphy
July 19th, 2014 by Mark Jones Leave a reply »
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