In an article by Wayne Scanlan of the Ottawa Citizen, Ottawa Senators’ General Manager Bryan Murray indicated that he will likely step down at the end of this season, but not before announcing his own replacement.
It’s something that fans knew was coming but the timelines weren’t always clear. Bryan Murray has demonstrated incredible class and strength in the face of this terrible disease. Not only to simply carry on with his life, but to continue working in such a prominent and public role. And on top of all that, he’s been able to use his own difficult situation to help others.
Right now, it sounds like the Senators are leaning towards an internal hire. Pierre Dorion and Randy Lee have both done a ton of work the last little while and have been very involved with the management of the team. Both deserve consideration when Murray does decide it’s time to step aside.
If the Senators do decide to look outside the organization for their next GM, I would expect Ray Shero’s name to come up. He has been seen around the rink this season, is close with team President Cyril Leeder and is seemingly ready to make a return to the NHL. Regardless of which direction the organization decides to go, the thinking is that Murray will remain involved with the hockey club, in an advisor role.
As a quick aside- how bout the week Wayne Scanlan is having? First he breaks the Neil/Phillips trade story and now this fantastic piece on Bryan Murray. Some great work coming from the Ottawa Citizen lately.
Reading the article, it’s so clear just how much Bryan Murray cares about this hockey team and how badly he wants to see them do well. This organization has been incredibly lucky to have Mr. Murray calling the shots for so long and it’s fitting that he will ultimately get to announce his own replacement
More coming in a little bit.
