Chicago Blackhawks defenseman Connor Murphy has been an important part of the team's roster for a long time now. The right-shot blueliner is entering his ninth season with the Blackhawks in 2025-26, where he will once again be one of their veteran leaders.
But will this season be Murphy's last season in Chicago? Time will tell.
Murphy is entering the final season of his four-year, $17.6 million contract in 2025-26 season and is a pending unrestricted free agent (UFA) because of it. Due to this, the Blackhawks will need to decide if he is a player they hope to keep around beyond this season. Given the fact that he has been a solid defenseman for them for several years, it would be understandable if they ended up keeping him around.
Yet, at the same time, the Blackhawks also have several promising prospect defensemen in their system. With this, it is also fair to wonder if the Blackhawks might end up not viewing him as a long-term part of their plans to make room for their youngsters. If this ends up being the case, he would be a prime trade candidate to watch once we get closer to the deadline.
It will be very interesting to see what the Blackhawks end up deciding to do with Murphy from here. In 487 games over eight seasons with the Blackhawks, Murphy has recorded 30 goals, 81 assists, 111 points, 1,015 hits, and 1,036 blocks.