Discussions are becoming more serious as the Oilers approach a deal for Blackhawks defenseman Connor Murphy.
And off we venture.
Oilers Trade Discussions Heat Up
Discussions have ramped up between the Edmonton Oilers and Chicago Blackhawks regarding a potential trade involving defenceman Connor Murphy, as reported by Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman on Monday.
Murphy, 32, has played in 60 matches this season for the Blackhawks, netting four goals and accumulating 13 points, having dedicated the past nine years to the Windy City. He’s a player that Oilers general manager Stan Bowman is familiar with, as he was responsible for bringing Murphy to Chicago in a trade with the Arizona Coyotes in June 2017, which involved sending Niklas Hjalmarsson in return.
The 6-foot-4, 212-pound right-shot defenseman is recognized for his strong defensive skills, making him a challenging opponent, despite lacking significant offensive contributions. His performance in Chicago this season illustrates this, as he generates offense at a rate seven percent lower than the league average, while delivering defensive value at a rate seven percent higher than the league average, according to HockeyViz, which assesses his overall impact as that of a low-end second-pair defenseman.
Murphy’s Performance This Season
Connor Murphy is currently in the last year of a four-year contract valued at $4.4 million AAV and has a no-trade clause that includes ten teams.
Although he has been somewhat overlooked on the depth chart, averaging the least amount of five-on-five minutes per game among Blackhawks defensemen, he leads the team in penalty kill time. As of Tuesday’s games, Chicago’s penalty kill is ranked first in the league with an 85.7 percent success rate. Murphy’s contributions in this area are at a league-average level, as per HockeyViz.
In order for a trade to occur, considerable salary-cap maneuvering will be necessary to align the finances. As reported by Puckpedia, the Oilers currently have just under $11,000 in salary cap space as of Monday, following the assignment of Andrew Mangiapane and Alec Regula to the AHL’s Bakersfield Condors, the recall of Josh Samanski and Isaac Howard, and the placement of Mattias Janmark on long-term injured reserve.
Bowman’s Connection to Murphy
The Blackhawks currently possess an impressive $53 million in salary cap space, allowing them the flexibility to either retain some of Connor Murphy’s salary or potentially acquire Mangiapane in a trade, which is a feasible option for the team.
Zach Laing serves as the managing editor for Oilersnation and is the news director for The Nation Network. He is also one of the co-hosts of the Daily Faceoff DFS Hockey Report. You can follow him on X at @zjlaing or contact him via email at [email protected].
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