After seven games, it looks like the Cory Murphy Experiment has come to an end.
The 31-year-old defenseman, whom the Devils signed for the NHL minimum of $500,000 during the summer, was placed on waivers yesterday, after failing to score a point in any of his three games this season — all Devils losses. He had a minus-2 rating.
If Murphy is unclaimed by today’s noon deadline, he will be assigned to Lowell, the organization’s AHL affiliate. Because he has a two-way contract, Murphy will not have to clear waivers again if the Devils choose to call him up later in the season.
Murphy spent several years playing in Europe, mostly in Finland, before breaking into the NHL in 2007 with the Panthers. He had two goals and 15 assists in 47 games that season, and had an assist in seven games with Florida last season before he was claimed on re-entry waivers by the Lightning.
Murphy proved he has some offensive potential during that stint with Tampa Bay, registering five goals and 10 assists in 25 games.
The move could mean that defenseman Mark Fraser is nearing a return to the lineup. Fraser has been on injured reserve since he suffered a head injury in a fight with Philadelphia’s Daniel Carcillo in a preseason game Sept. 24, but he has been practicing with the team.
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The Devils spent time during yesterday’s practice working on their line changes, which have given them trouble recently. They have picked up penalties for having too many men on the ice in three straight games, and four of the past five. “We tried to practice today,” Devils head coach Jacques Lemaire said. “We started to understand towards the end.”
Lemaire had no news on when Patrick Elias will return to practice. Elias has been out since Sept. 15, when he had arthroscopic surgery on his groin.