The Chicago Blackhawks have traded defenseman Connor Murphy to the Edmonton Oilers in exchange for a second-round pick in the 2028 NHL Draft.
The Chicago Blackhawks also made it happen by retaining 50% of Murphy’s $4.4 million cap hit.
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This has been a long time coming. The question was always going to be which team was the one that made the best offer for Kyle Davidson to consider retaining salary. Edmonton clearly wanted to add a defenseman like Murphy for their playoff run.
Outside of the COVID-19 bubble, Murphy has never come close to being on a playoff team. After the last nine years spent with the Blackhawks, mostly spent rebuilding, he will finally get his chance.
Murphy will always be remembered for being a great soldier in a tough situation. He never once complained about the fact that the team wasn’t making the playoffs. Instead, he was a wonderful leader in the room. A lot of their young players will benefit in the long run from having had him around.
It was also well known that Connor Murphy was a wonderful asset to the city of Chicago. He is a community man who loves giving back. Now, he can bring some of that joy to the city of Edmonton.
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The Oilers, who have been to back-to-back Stanley Cup Finals, losing both, have aspirations of getting back there again with stars like Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl leading the way. Murphy’s defensive game is sure to help their depth.
They have work to do to get there, and they likely aren’t done adding, but this is a great stepping stone.
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