Connor Murphy Has Evolved Into the Blackhawks' Best Defenseman

Wow, what a difference a season has made for Blackhawks' defenseman, Connor Murphy. You might not have realized it, but Connor Murphy has evolved into the Blackhawks' best defenseman.

Pat Foley just said Murphy is a +5 over his last 11 games 👏🏼 pic.twitter.com/bxY3nU2Ci1

— ✶ ✶Tony G✶ ✶ (@Certified_TonyG) March 16, 2019

In a season in which the defense has not held up their end of the bargain at all, Connor Murphy has stood tall and has been the one consistent bright spot on this lackluster defensive unit for the Blackhawks. It's been really refreshing to see, especially since Murphy had such a disappointing season in 2017-18.

The Evolution of Connor Murphy

Connor Murphy was drafted 20th overall in the 2011 NHL Draft by the Arizona Coyotes, with the intention of him being a Top 4 defenseman. Things didn't really go the way he and the Coyotes had planned. During the 2017 offseason, Murphy was shipped to Chicago in exchange for Niklas Hjalmarsson, who was a proven veteran and a quintessential stalwart on the Blackhawks' defense at the time. Last season, it was no secret that Connor Murphy struggled mightily and underachieved in every facet of the game. Murphy was being healthy scratched last season and the trade was basically deemed a failure at that point. However, that has all been thrown out the window this season, as he has improved tremendously over the course of a season. During the 2018 offseason, I was saying how they should entertain the possibility of trading him. Now, I couldn't imagine him not being on the ice in a Blackhawks sweater. Patience really is a virtue and I don't mind being proven wrong in cases like this. Take a closer look at Connor Murphy's stats this season, and then, look back at last season. The numbers speak for themselves and really paint a clear, vivid picture of how far he has come.

                            Scor Scor        Scor  Ice                  Ice
Season    Age    Tm  Lg  GP    G    A PTS +/- PIM  TOI  ATOI BLK HIT TK  GV
2013-14    20   PHX NHL  30    1    7   8   5  10  539 17:59  38  44 13  13
2014-15    21   ARI NHL  73    4    3   7 -27  42 1226 16:48 142 137  8  25
2015-16    22   ARI NHL  78    6   11  17   5  48 1599 20:30 139 175 21  29
2016-17    23   ARI NHL  77    2   15  17 -13  45 1477 19:11 119 201 13  31
2017-18    24   CHI NHL  76    2   12  14  -3  34 1244 16:22 101 138 15  33
2018-19    25   CHI NHL  41    4    8  12  16  38  807 19:41  69  92 13  41
3 yrs           ARI NHL 228   12   29  41 -35 135 4302 18:52 400 513 42  85
2 yrs           CHI NHL 117    6   20  26  13  72 2051 17:32 170 230 28  74
1 yr            PHX NHL  30    1    7   8   5  10  539 17:59  38  44 13  13
Career        6 yrs NHL 375   19   56  75 -17 217 6893 18:23 608 787 83 172

Provided by Hockey-Reference.com: View Original Table

Where Does Connor Murphy Rank Amongst the Blackhawks and the NHL?

Connor Murphy has been the best defenseman on the Blackhawks and it's not even close. He missed 3 months of hockey, due to offseason back surgery, and has only appeared in 41 games this season. That alone speak volumes to not only Murphy's character, but also, to his dedication and commitment to the team in a down season overall. You have to love it. Murphy is currently at the top of various Blackhawks' leaderboards: Blackhawks ± Leaders [caption id="attachment_123081" align="aligncenter" width="634"] Connor Murphy leads the Blackhawks with a 16± rating and is T-49th amongst league leaders (via NHL.com)[/caption] Blackhawks TOI/GP Leaders [caption id="attachment_123082" align="aligncenter" width="1264"] Connor Murphy is ranked 5th on Blackhawks in TOI/GP and T-141st amongst league leaders (via NHL.com)[/caption] Blackhawks Shifts/GP Leaders [caption id="attachment_123083" align="aligncenter" width="1264"] Connor Murphy is ranked 2nd on Blackhawks in Shifts/GP and 63rd amongst league leaders (via NHL.com)[/caption]

Where Does Connor Murphy Fit Into Blackhawks' Long Term Plans?

Connor Murphy has established his value to the team and has shown that he is worthy of keeping around as a key piece of the future defensemen core. Going forward, Murphy should be viewed as a legitimate Top 4 guy. The future core currently includes Henri Jokiharju, Adam Boqvist, Nicolas Beaudin, Ian Mitchell, and more. The talent is there for Murphy and his specific skillset is actually a perfect compliment to the Blackhawks' future defensemen core, since he is more defensively oriented while the others are more offensively oriented. If StanBo & Co. hit on all of these defensemen prospects, that gives the Blackhawks 5 solid defensemen to work with, and 6 defensemen total, if you want to include Erik Gustafsson. Homegrown prospects also save StanBo & Co. some big time money. The recent evolution of Connor Murphy could not have come at a better time, as Duncan Keith and Brent Seabrook continue to age and naturally regress talent-wise. While the defense doesn't look like much now, I have faith that a turnaround may be closer than most people might think. That is thanks to Murphy and the young defensive studs making their way through the ranks. We may see an improvement as soon as next season, as Jokiharju, Boqvist, Beaudin, Mitchell, and etc. start to claim their spots on the Blackhawks' active roster. I don't know about you, but I am excited for what the future holds for our beloved Blackhawks. For more Blackhawks news and updates, follow the author @Certified_TonyG on Twitter.