The Ottawa Senators announced on Friday that they have agreed to a one-year contract extension with general manager Bryan Murray.
Murray, who was a former coach of the club, has been the Senators' general manager since June 18, 2007, when he took over from John Muckler shortly after Ottawa lost to the Anaheim Ducks in the Stanley Cup final.
"When I signed originally, I signed for three years plus an option," said Murray on Friday. "It could have been the team's option, or my willingness to stay on and work. I'm not a spring chicken at this point in time by any means, but I feel very comfortable in being able to work for a while longer."
"Bryan has proven that he is the right man to lead this team," Senators owner Eugene Melnyk said in a news release. "Our team is now in a position to not only be competitive each season, but also to contend for the Stanley Cup.
"Bryan and his staff have worked hard to build an organization that now has the depth at the National Hockey League level and in our farm system that should allow us to be competitive for many years to come. As we approach the trade deadline, playoffs and entry draft, we wanted to demonstrate our confidence in Bryan by extending his contract."
Murray also took the opportunity to tell the media that the club would not be trading Anton Volchenkov, who will become an unrestricted free agent at the end of the season, and indicated that the club had already made the defenceman a contract offer.
This season is Murray's 15th as a general manager, after serving four years with the Detroit Red Wings from 1990-94, six-plus seasons with the Florida Panthers from 1994-2000 and two seasons with Anaheim from 2002-04.
Murray is the sixth general manager in the Senators' new era history. The club has a 113-88-23 record under Murray.
