Senators general manager Bryan Murray has watched his team go from missing last year's playoffs to top spot in the NHL's Northeast Division. (Pawel Dwulit/Canadian Press)

Bryan Murray has survived plenty of criticism in his two-plus seasons as Ottawa Senators general manager, from the Dany Heatley trade to the team's inconsistent goaltending to last year's missed playoffs.

But with the Senators fifth in the NHL's Eastern Conference, he received the ultimate vote of confidence on Friday in the form of a one-year contract extension.

"Bryan has proven that he is the right man to lead this team," Senators owner Eugene Melnyk said in a statement released by the team. "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."

Friday's announcement comes on the heels of a 6-5 win over the East-leading Washington Capitals on Thursday night.

The Senators, with their 13th victory in a 14-game stretch, top the Northeast Division with a 35-22-4 record for 74 points.

"My goal from the time I was appointed to this position was to continue the proud and winning history of this organization and to make it one of the top-tier organizations in the NHL," Murray said in a statement.

Murray was named Ottawa's sixth general manager on June 18, 2007, after going 107-55-20 in more than two seasons behind the club's bench. In 2007, he guided the Senators to their first appearance in a Stanley Cup final, when they fell to Anaheim in five games.

He is sixth in all-time games coached (1,239) and sixth in wins (620).

"I feel that we have moved this franchise into a strong position where we can challenge for the Stanley Cup each season, while at the same time we're continuing to draft and develop top prospects who will help this team in the years to come," Murray said.