Varying views on Canes defenseman Ryan Murphy

Defenseman Ryan Murphy might be the most polarizing player on the Carolina Hurricanes now that a certain Russian winger is gone.

Murphy’s detractors say he’s too small, that he gets pushed around in the defensive zone and can be too much of a liability.

Murphy’s supporters say look at his speed, his stickhandling, his offensive flair and the ability to run the power play.

Murphy gets it. He doesn’t try to ignore his critics. He can take the good with the bad.

One bit of criticism that he did take to heart was from Canes coaches and management after last season.

“It was definitely emphasized in the end-of-year meeting that to play in this league, you have to be in good shape and that I wasn’t going to be playing in this league if I didn’t come in this year in a lot better shape,” Murphy said Thursday.

Murphy, 22, switched trainers and began working with Peter Renzetti, associate strength and conditioning coach for the Toronto Maple Leafs. It was a lengthy drive to the gym each day, Murphy said, but worth it, as he dropped a few pounds and added more muscle to his 5-11, 185-pound frame.

Another wrinkle was Renzetti worked for the Detroit Red Wings before going to the Leafs. Murphy was aware that Canes coach Bill Peters, a former Red Wings assistant coach, knew Renzetti and was checking up on him.

“The trainer gave him good reports,” Murphy said, smiling. “Coming into (training) camp I felt good. My fitness test scores were upgraded, which was good. In the first few games of the season, I’ve had my legs. Everything was going good, and I wasn’t getting winded out there.

“Coming into this league, there was no secret I didn’t know much about the defensive side of the puck. But going back to that training in the summer, I feel more confident with my feet, feel stronger in the D-zone and a lot quicker, and that’s really been helping me so far.”

In the season opener against the Nashville Predators, Peters paired Murphy with 18-year-old rookie Noah Hanifin – Carolina’s first-round draft pick in 2011 and the fifth overall pick from this year. Early in the game, defenseman James Wisniewski suffered a torn left ACL, resulting in a lot of minutes being spread around among five D-men.

Wisniewski is out likely for the season, but Peters has decided to keep Murphy and Hanifin together.

“When you have two young guys, there’s not the veteran leadership for one to lean on to give that sage advice,” Peters said. “But ‘Murph’ is a good player. When they’re both skating and moving their feet and gapped up, they can play together, no problem. It’s when they get on their heels, (and are) tentative a little bit, that issues arise. But I expect them to be able to play together and be a real good partnership.”

Murphy called Hanifin a responsible player who has a “good reading” of his position and has been a quick learner.

“He’s confident with the puck and a confident skater,” Murphy said. “He’s a high pick with great expectations of him, and I can’t wait to see what he turns into.”

Hanifin, in turn, said Murphy has been easy to talk to and a good communicator during games.

“Being the youngest guy on the team, it makes me more comfortable when I’m on the ice,” Hanifin said. “He’s gone through what I’m going through right now, making a jump and playing at a higher level.”

Murphy played his first four games for the Canes in 2012-13, then 48 games in 2013-14 while splitting time between Carolina and the Charlotte Checkers of the AHL. Murphy started last season with the Canes but was sent down to the Checkers for 25 games – earning a spot in the AHL All-Star Classic – before being recalled.

A leg injury in early February sidelined Murphy for a month. He returned to score three of his four goals in his final 16 games, including his first career game-winning goal April 9 against the Philadelphia Flyers.

“There’s pressure on you as a first-round pick to produce sooner than others in your NHL career,” Murphy said. “Being sent down (to Charlotte) a couple of times really brought me back down to earth, where you start to focus and realize at the end of the day it’s just a number where you’re drafted and doesn’t matter at all.

“I want to produce and prove to everyone that I should have been a first-round pick. Hopefully this season I can produce and go from there.”

This story was originally published October 15, 2015 at 4:34 PM with the headline "Varying views on Canes defenseman Ryan Murphy."