The Athletic's Pierre LeBrun selected the Florida Panthers as a possible trade match with Chicago Blackhawks defenseman Connor Murphy, as they look to upgrade their third pairing.
The Florida Panthers have been named as a possible match for Chicago Blackhawks defenseman Connor Murphy.
There have been several reports throughout the season that the Panthers could be interested in adding a third-pairing defenseman. Since Dmitry Kulikov went down with an injury, the Panthers have struggled to find a third pairing that they feel comfortable with.
They signed Jeff Petry in the off-season to a one-year, $775,000 contract, but the move hasn't paid off quite as well as the Panthers would have hoped. They've attempted to play both Uvis Balinskis and Donovan Sebrango alongside him, but haven't always liked the results.
Murphy, whom The Athletic's Pierre LeBrun selected as a match for the Panthers, is a right-handed defenseman and would likely replace Petry in the lineup. As they are both right-handed, the Panthers' third pair could be Kulikov-Murphy. Murphy, 32, has played in 38 games this season, notching five assists.
Throughout his NHL career, Murphy has played 783 games, scoring 43 goals and 165 points. He's only been to the post-season once, playing in nine games.
The Blackhawks have added several young defenseman to their lineup this year, which is why the 6-foot-4, 212-pound defenseman's ice time has gone down. He's averaging just 15:26 of ice time, over five minutes fewer than last season.
"The hurdle for Florida would be finding the cap space," said LeBrun. "Murphy’s $4.4 million cap hit is rich, but obviously it would require Chicago retaining some, plus the Panthers have $3.8 million in long-term-injured-reserve money at their disposal with captain Aleksander Barkov out. The Panthers and Blackhawks made a trade a year ago involving Seth Jones. Obviously, this wouldn’t be at the same level, but it could be beneficial."
"I also think the Blackhawks will want to do right by Murphy, who has long been respected in that room," LeBrun continued. "He’s only played nine career playoff games and they were in the Edmonton pandemic bubble in 2020, so he hasn’t experienced a traditional playoff run with fans. Joining the Cup champs would be perfect."
Murphy is in the final season of a four-year, $ 4.4 million contract he signed with the Blackhawks. With the rising cap, the Panthers could re-sign him in the off-season when his contract expires.
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