Murray addresses size with Artyukhin

[Declan]

Ducks general manager Bob Murray had his eyes on Tampa Bay Lightning right wing Evgeny Artyukhin for months. artyukhin

Here’s guessing that Murray didn’t have to squint to find the 6-foot-5, 254-pound Russian (right).

After attempts to acquire Artyukhin around the trading deadline in March and again at June’s draft, Murray traded for the right wing to balance their other offseason moves.

“We changed our team a little bit,” Murray said. “We had gotten a bit more skill and moved a few things around. In doing so, we lost a little bit of our size, sandpaper or grit. We have been trying to find a way to patch that for a little while.”

Artyukhin more than covers that patch physically. He ’s known as a hard-hitting forward who is also fast, particularly for a man his size.

Murray didn’t speculate where he would ideally fit in, but Artyukhin will presumably be in the mix, along with Ryan Carter, Petteri Nokelainen and Mike Brown, to join Todd Marchant on the checking line.

Whether Artyukhin is defensibly responsible to Coach Randy Carlyle’s satisfaction remains to be seen. There is also some question about his hands and hockey sense.

Artyukhin’s wrecking ball style got him in trouble last season when he was suspended two games for a kneeing incident involving Florida Panthers defenseman Ville Peltonen.

But Murray likened this stage of Artyukhin’s career to former Duck Travis Moen in that Moen didn’t play much at first but carved a role as a tough, effective checking winger who could occasionally find the net.

“I know I like the raw assets of this guy, and we’ll see what develops with those assets,” Murray said.

The move comes at the expense of Drew Miller, who, at 6-2, 174 pounds, was undersized for a checking forward but earned a spot on the checking line during the club’s late run last season.

It was Miller who chipped in with goals in Games 3 and 5 against San Jose in the Western Conference quarterfinals. He also cut his NHL teeth in the 2007 Stanley Cup Finals.

Murray acknowledged Miller probably didn’t get a fair chance with the Ducks.

“He had a good run here with us,” Murray said. “He was a little bit like Bobby Ryan. He was an easy guy to move down (to the minors) and it was a bit unfair to Drew. He handled it well and he played well for us.”

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