It seemed, at first blush, like a pretty fair offer.
Ottawa let Jim Rutherford know Wednesday morning that it was willing to part with a second-round draft choice and a fairly promising prospect in exchange for goalie Matt Murray.
It was the most attractive proposal Rutherford had received for Murray.
In fact, he suggested it was the only reasonable one that he'd gotten.
Which explains why Rutherford, cognizant of the glut of accomplished goaltenders already on -- or headed for -- the market, didn't hesitate to accept the Senators' deal.
"The fact of the matter is, the goalie market right now is flooded with goalies," he told a conference call Wednesday evening. "This was a long process, in trying to get the (Penguins') goalie situation cleared up.
"I didn't have an offer that I could take until this morning. Based on where the market is, I think we did pretty good to get the second-round pick and get a prospect. I would say that at the point I got to, it was the only offer for me to consider."
And so Murray, a restricted free agent, was dispatched to Ottawa for a second-rounder, which the Penguins promptly invested in Finnish goaltender Joel Blomqvist, and winger Jonathan Gruden.
Gruden, 20, had 30 goals and 36 assists in 59 games with London of the Ontario Hockey League last season.
He is 6-foot-1, 172 pounds and is signed through the 2022-23 season, with a contract that carries a salary-cap hit of $788,333.
"Ottawa has a lot of young players," Rutherford said. "Gruden is a player we liked when we watched him play in London. He plays a real determined game. Great character.
"It's going to take him a little bit to develop here -- he still has a little work to do on his game -- but he'll have a chance to play for the Penguins at some point."
Gruden is the son of former NHL defenseman and current Islanders assistant coach John Gruden and a native of Rochester Hills, Mich. He competed in the National Team Development Program, then went to Miami (Ohio) University for one season before moving on to the OHL.
Murray won Stanley Cups with the Penguins in 2016 and 2017, but his play slipped over the past few seasons and Tristan Jarry's strong showing in 2019-20 made him expendable.
Rutherford theorized that even though Murray's strong play during the Cup years convinced the Penguins to let Marc-Andre Fleury go to Vegas in the 2017 expansion draft, Fleury's absence had a negative impact on Murray's performance.
"I think there's something in the mental part of the game and the pressures that fell on him when he was 'the guy,' " Rutherford said. "Those first two years, it was him and Fleury. They were good for each other. They had a very friendly competition going, and they cheered for each other.
"But then when you lose a guy like Fleury, and you become just 'the guy' ... he had a good backup in Casey (DeSmith), but maybe not at the level of what Fleury did for him, and how he pushed him and how he supported him. I think that, from a mental point of view, that maybe became a bit of an adjustment that never took hold."
He also suggested that perhaps Murray felt that the role he played in the Penguins' Cup runs was not as appreciated as it deserved to be.
Despite the decline in Murray's effectiveness, Rutherford said that parting with him wasn't easy, and that he texted Murray after the deal was announced to thank him for his contributions to the Penguins' two most recent championships.
"This is hard," he said. "But we don't have a choice. It's part of our (salary-cap) system."
Murray's departure, which had been expected for several months, was all but sealed a few days ago, when Jarry signed a three-year contract extension.
Murray is a restricted free agent, so he will have to sign a new deal with the Senators before playing for them next season. He has the option of taking his new team to arbitration, which is something the Penguins had a strong interest in avoiding.
They would have had the option of walking away from an award they deemed unacceptable, but that would have entailed relinquishing their rights to Murray -- and the opportunity to get something in a trade for him.
Ottawa, which had three first-round draft choices Tuesday, is in the midst of a major rebuild, so getting a 26-year-old goaltender who should just be entering the prime of his career could be a prudent, long-term move if Murray can get his game back to its previous level.
"Ottawa was in this process for a long time," Rutherford said. "(Senators GM) Pierre Dorion did a very good job of walking through the steps and reading the market very well."
Dorion, in a statement released by the team, said Murray "represents an important addition to our lineup" and is "a proven goaltender who has considerable high-pressure experience and someone who we're certain will serve as an exceptional mentor to our young group of upcoming goaltenders."
Murray's departure leaves the Penguins with a tandem of Jarry and DeSmith and, while Rutherford is shopping for a veteran to serve as the organization's No. 3 goalie, he said he is comfortable with the pair already on the payroll.
"Tristan had an all-star year last year," he said. "He got rewarded. He played in the All-Star Game. Casey DeSmith, two seasons ago, he was very good for us. ... We're going to have to get more depth, maybe a third goalie to keep an eye on.
"But it's like everything else we do. We're always looking to see what's out there, and how we can improve all parts of our team. But if we were starting the season tonight, I'd be fine with those two goalies."