Former first round draft pick throws shade at the NHL

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Dorin Canaday
September 10, 2022 (0:33)

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Defenseman Ryan Murphy was originally selected 12th overall by the Carolina Hurricanes at the 2011 NHL Entry Draft. Since then, he spent time with the Hurricanes, Minnesota Wild and the New Jersey Devils, along with a two year stint in the KHL.

However, former highly touted defensive prospect, couldn't ever seem to find a spot in an NHL lineup, and that left a bitter taste in his mouth.

Murphy recently through some shade at the league:

"I was surprised because I was finally dominating one of the best leagues in the world, what else could I do? Decided I was going to play one more year. Went to Detroit, we didn't have the best team, but I played great. I was the top scorer among defensemen, and top 10 scorers, then I got hurt. I missed the rest of the season, but the club still had 50 games to call me up to the lineup. I didn't understand what was going on. It was the last nail in the coffin, I realized - enough is enough. I'd rather go to a league where the main thing is to win and play those who are better, where you don't get pushed around for the sake of developing young guys who just might become good players in the future. I think North American hockey has let me down. In some ways, they've lost their way there, in terms of how to run clubs."

He expressed his distaste for the lack of tenacity to win in the AHL, as someone who put winning as a priority, he has taken to the KHL style of hockey since then.

Murphy is currently with Salavat Yulaev Ufa of the KHL, and with him, is another former highly touted prospect, Josh Ho-Sang, who has missed two chances in the NHL. First with the New York Islanders and again with the Toronto Maple Leafs.

"We were brainwashed as kids into thinking the NHL was the only option. But there are so many leagues in the world where you can play and make a living, and the KHL is the best after the NHL."

He mentioned how the AHL has come to prioritize player development for 18 and 19-year-old rookies over winning. Murphy was an assistant captain with the Vegas Golden Knights' affiliate, the Henderson Silver Knights, before heading back to the KHL.

Hey may have failed to establish himself in the NHL with 175 games under his belt, but he will be under Viktor Kozlov's leadership in the KHL

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