Penguins' Murray 'sad' to see Fleury join Golden Knights

Following his second straight Stanley Cup-winning season, Matt Murray has earned the right to be called the Pittsburgh Penguins' starting goalie.

However, that doesn't mean he fails to recognize the positive impact that former No. 1 Marc-Andre Fleury had on his career during their two seasons playing together.

"I’m forever grateful to everything that Marc has ever done for me. It’s sad to see him go," Murray said Tuesday, according to Leith Dunick of SooToday.com.

"Honestly even though we competed for playing time and were competitors in that regard, we’re all part of the same team and we’re all out there for one thing, that’s to win. Having 'Flower' definitely gave us a good chance to win. His presence on and off the ice, he’s a guy that’s going to be missed on and off the ice."

Murray's former mentor leaves Pittsburgh after spending his entire career with the Penguins. Over the past 13 seasons, "Flower" has registered a 375-216-68 record to go along with a 2.58 goals-against average, .912 save percentage, and three Cups.

With two rings already under his belt at 23 years of age, Murray is well on his way to eclipsing Fleury's legacy in Pittsburgh. With that being said, the young netminder knows that next year will be an entirely different challenge.

"This year it’s a little bit different. We lost some key pieces and we’re going to have a new look going into this season," said Murray. "But I think we’ve added some key pieces as well and I think we’re in really good shape. Of course it’s going to be difficult, but I think if there’s a team that can do it, we can do it."