Bryan Murray a Role Model for all NHL General Managers

At least there’s one GM in the league that knows when to say “when”.

On Friday evening, Bryan Murray pulled the trigger on a deal that sent restricted free-agent Andrej Meszaros to the Tampa Bay Lightning in exchange for Filip Kuba, Alexandre Picard, and a 2009 first-round draft pick that was originally obtained from the San Jose Sharks.

This was a move waiting to happen as both Murray and Rich Winter (Meszaros’ agent) could not agree on a viable contract.

At this point, it would be hard to say who won the deal. The Lightning get a player that boasts a lot of potential, but the Senators gained a veteran presence, a prospect, and draft pick. It seems that all is well on both ends now, as the teams are anxious to get the season underway.

No matter what team you pull for, there’s no denying that Murray made what could be the smartest move by a general manager since the lockout.

As stated, Senators’ management had offered a variety of different contracts that were “more than fair.” To no avail, as the price was not right on either side of the table.

It’s nice to see a GM come to his senses.

Why pay an un-proven defenseman $5 million a season for the next five years? Murray publicly admitted that he "didn't think it was fair to the other guys to pump (Meszaros' salary) up to a point that was way beyond them and that's what they wanted."

With the team already paying Chris Phillips and Anton Volchenkov over $3 million a year, it wouldn’t be right to give a more inexperienced player a much higher contract. Trading away a potentially-expensive player for the well-being of his own team is an admirable move by Murray.

Maybe some general managers around the league can learn a lesson from this.

Instead of overpaying for a player that might be a franchise player, why not put them in their place by letting them know their worth? It would free up cap space and let the pay cheques tell fans whom the league’s elite are.

Keep in mind that Bryan Murray had a lot to do with building the 2007 Stanley Cup champion Anaheim Ducks. This isn’t the first time he’s faced a hard decision and by no means will it be his last. He’s been in this situation before and is confident that he can handle it well.

Some people might not be too crazy about seeing a potentially dangerous player walk away from a team due to contract negotiations, but I’ll personally let the on-ice performance do the talking.

Can Meszaros actually live up to such a loaded deal, or will he fold and become the next Alexei Yashin? Either way, it looks like "Mez" will be cashing in big in the next few days. Thank God he won’t be wearing a red uniform.

Thank you, Bryan Murray. I’m glad to see a GM that has his head screwed on straight.