Blackhawks and Maple Leafs Emerge As Trade Partners For 6-Foot-4 Defenseman
Photo credit: Yahoo Sports
NHL Insider Shane Seney believes the Maple Leafs could upgrade their defense with Blackhawks' 6-foot-4 Connor Murphy.
While their offense isn't much to sneeze at, they've been linked to Brayden Schenn and Dylan Cozens. However, their top nine isn't the only weakness in the lineup.
It's obvious that GM Brad Treliving is looking to add size, and muscle on the blue line.
The Maple Leafs blue line lacks meaningful NHL depth, as they've had to rely on a call-up in Philippe Myers, and Simon Benoit in the bottom-pairing.
One of those additions could be from their former trade partners, GM Kyle Davidson and the Chicago Blackhawks.
That player would be 6-foot-4 defenseman, Connor Murphy who has worn the Blackhawks crest since 2017-2018.
"Murphy has great size at 6-foot-4, 212 pounds, and it feels like if he ends up in Toronto, a big reason why is because Davidson was open to retaining salary, which he's done multiple times in the past, including $4.6 million of Rantanen's contract, and he's never played a game in Chicago.
"Murphy is a keep-it-simple type of defenseman, and with over 700 games of NHL experience, is quite predictable as far as knowing what you're getting on a nightly basis.
"Murphy is a keep-it-simple type of defenseman, and with over 700 games of NHL experience, is quite predictable as far as knowing what you're getting on a nightly basis.
Seney believes he's the ideal piece to bolster the team's blue line. But for a deal to happen, he believes that GM Kyle Davidson should sweeten the deal by retaining a portion of his salary.
Which is fair, if the return for Murphy would be right for the Blackhawks' rebuild. The goal is always to accumulate assets.
Murphy is in year three, of his four-year deal which pays him $4.4 million AAV, and shouldn't be an issue for the Hawks, especially if their goal is to trade him.
The Maple Leafs have good defenders in the lineup already, but Morgan Rielly isn't known for his defensive play and could use Connor Murphy to help shelter him as a shutdown defenseman.
That's the kind of role he could expect to play in Toronto, and would be a huge upgrade over Connor Timmins, and Philippe Myers
This season for the Blackhawks, Murphy has contributed 13 points (1 G, 12 A), 100 blocks, and 72 hits for the team.
The Maple Leafs' current crop of defensemen aren't the ones who could stabilize the team in long stretches of the playoffs, which is why GM Brad Treliving should reach out to Chicago.
| POLL | ||
FEVRIER 16 | 111 ANSWERS Blackhawks and Maple Leafs Emerge As Trade Partners For 6-Foot-4 Defenseman Should GM Kyle Davidson of the Chicago Blackhawks trade defenseman Connor Murphy to the Toronto Maple Leafs? | ||
| Yes | 69 | 62.2 % |
| No | 42 | 37.8 % |
| List of polls | ||
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