*Photo from Blackhawk Up*
The longest tenured active defenseman in Chicago will be around for a little while longer. The Chicago Blackhawks and right shot D Connor Murphy have agreed to a 4 year, $17.6 million extension, with a $4.4 million AAV, according to the team.
Blackhawks GM Stan Bowman said "When we acquired Connor in the summer of 2017, we had visions of him growing as both a player and leader in our organization for many years. He has transformed into a defenseman capable of matching up with the opponents' best players and someone we trust to help us preserve a lead in the final minutes. Connor's voice carries weight in our locker room as a veteran presence, and we're thrilled that his development and leadership will continue as a Blackhawk."
This season is the last of a 6 year, $23.1 million deal signed by Murphy, which the Arizona Coyotes first negotiated with him. The extension from Chicago kicks in at the start of the 2022-2023 season, and has a modified no trade clause all 4 years, with 10 teams on a no trade list submitted by Murphy. He was a pending UFA next season.
Last season, Murphy put up 3 goals and 12 assists for Chicago, with a +1 plus/minus in an ATOI of 22:09, the second highest among Blackhawks D-Men last season, while playing 50 regular season games. Chicago failed to make the playoffs last season, with a 24-25-7 record.
In 8 NHL seasons, split between the Blackhawks and Coyotes, Murphy has racked up 28 goals and 82 assists since being selected with the 20th overall pick in the 2011 NHL Draft. Murphy has a career -18 plus/minus in an ATOI of 19:06 across 494 regular season games. He has 4 career assists in 9 playoff games.
Murphy said of signing his extension that "Yeah it's really exciting. I mean, it's something going into the summer I didn't even realize it was going to be a possibility, and as we got going into it when it came up, it was just super exciting to be able to do this and just be here. Chicago has felt like home to me now for years and it was a no-brainer to want to be here as long as I can afterwards. I just want to be a part of this team and organization and community."
With his extension, Murphy has secured his place on the revamped defense in Chicago, joining with new additions Jake McCabe and Seth Jones as Chicago looks to get back into the playoffs.
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