The AHL All-Star Classic took place on February 2nd-3rd in Coachella Valley this year, and the Sabres had quite a few representatives. The one who saw the most publicity however was Sabres farm hand Brett Murray.
The Buffalo Sabres’ selected Murray 99th overall in the 2016 NHL Draft. Since then he has gone back and forth from the Rochester Americans and the Buffalo Sabres. In his 23 total games with the Sabres, Murray has produced two goals and four assists. However, at the AHL level, Murray is just three goals away from 100 in his career, and recently hit 100 career assists in his last game as well. This season the 26-year-old has 20 goals and 16 assists while being named to his first AHL All-Star team.
Murray took the ice for the All-Star Classic 3-on-3 tournament for the North Division in which Rochester plays. With just a few seconds left in their game against the Central Division, Murray received a saucer pass from Trey Fix-Wolansky, of the Cleveland Monsters. Murray deked by his defender, went between the legs, and then shot it between his legs in the top corner to give the North Division the victory.
What is next for Murray?
Although Murray has mainly been a career AHL player with Rochester, doesn't mean that people aren’t taking notes on what he is doing on the ice. Many scouts attend the AHL All-Star Classic to see who is upcoming in the AHL and can help an NHL team at the next level. With Murray having the best season of his career thus far, and creating highlights like this, are teams taking notice. With Rosen now in the NHL, Murray will be the main scorer in Rochester, but he could also be used as trade bait. The Sabres may be willing to ship the 6-foot-5-inch winger to a team looking for that extra boost come playoff time. Or maybe even a team that thinks they can use him in the future. With that being said, keep an out for Brett Murray as he is turning heads and could be a name the Sabres use at the trade deadline.