By Ian Mendes, Sportsnet.ca

General Manager Bryan Murray admitted on Wednesday that Ray Emery asked for a trade out of Ottawa earlier this season.

Murray told reporters that several months ago Emery thought a change of scenery would be beneficial to him and the team.

"To be honest, we did have a conversation at one point and he thought that maybe there was a situation elsewhere that he would fit better," said Murray, who added that he tried to accommodate the request, but was not able to find a willing trading partner.

When asked by reporters if he had asked for a trade out of Ottawa after missing a practice on December 28, the netminder denied the claim.

"No, I didn't ask to be traded at the end of December," Emery said.

The netminder has struggled to find his game this season, posting a 8-7-3 record with a 2.95 GAA. After leading the club to the Stanley Cup Finals, Emery has been the focus of several off-ice incidents. On Monday, he arrived late for a practice in Long Island for the second time in a month.

Emery said his erratic behavior is not part of a ploy to get traded. The netminder stated that he wants to stay in Ottawa and dismissed the notion that he is now an unwanted man in the dressing room.

"I like the guys here. I like the fact we have a competitive team, so it's a good place to play," Emery said. "I get along with everyone on this team. My relationship with these guys is better than ever."

Murray added that in the last few conversations he's had with Emery, the netminder appears to have changed his mind from his stance earlier this season.

"In my last couple of conversations, it's been the opposite," Murray told reporters. "He told me that he wanted to be here and he liked this group of people. He indicated he wanted to be here. Now is that long term? That's up to him and us. But for the rest of this year his desire was to be here."

The general manager added that at this point, he is not actively shopping Emery.

"There's not a market for anybody right now. And I have not called in the last few days about Ray," Murray said.