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Blackhawks trade Connor Murphy to the Oilers

The team’s longest tenured player is on the move.

Posted on by Dave Melton
Credit: Matt Marton-Imagn Images

One of the Blackhawks expected moves ahead of this Friday’s trade deadline has arrived on Monday afternoon, with veteran defenseman Connor Murphy traded to the Edmonton Oilers.

The deal was confirmed by the team on Monday evening:

With the second-round pick being in 2028, Chicago now has seven second-round picks in the next three drafts when factoring in the three they have in 2026 and the two they have in 2027.

Murphy, who’ll turn 33 on March 26, has been a staple of the Blackhawks D corps for almost a decade, arriving in Chicago during the 2017 offseason as part of the trade that sent Niklas Hjalmarsson to the former Arizona Coyotes. He played in 547 games across nine seasons in Chicago, notching 34 goals and 90 assists while logging an average ice time of 19:33. Murphy endured plenty of criticism during his initial seasons with the Blackhawks for the crime of not being Niklas Hjalmarsson, although he certainly evolved into a steady, reliable, stay-at-home defenseman during his peak years with the team.

Connor Murphy was a good player. He was a great Chicagoan. Nobody did more work in the community, from delivering meals to hospitals during Covid to visiting hospitals and youth teams. Five-time King Clancy nominee for a reason. He'll be missed by reporters, teammates and a city he made his home.

— Mark Lazerus (@marklazerus.bsky.social) March 2, 2026 at 3:18 PM

Fond memories of Murphy’s time in Chicago will always be difficult to locate because the team was largely dreadful during his tenure, with Murphy’s lone postseason experience coming during the COVID-shortened 2019-20 season, which meant that he was playing playoff games in empty buildings. That’s not quite the same as what he’ll likely experience in the months ahead. Edmonton is currently in third place in the Pacific Division and, although their postseason spot is not officially secure, any team with Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl on it will likely have enough firepower to be in a playoff spot come April. What happens beyond that is anyone’s guess.

For now, here’s the best Murphy photo from the SCH archives, with the look on his face even more appropriate upon recognition of the player in the foreground:

Credit: Jamie Sabau-USA TODAY Sports

Given how long he’s been in Chicago, though, it’s fair to conclude that there will be plenty of Hawks fans hopping on the bandwagon in hopes of No. 5 enjoying a long postseason run for the first time in his career. And his departure opens up a little more ice time for the Blackhawks continued youth movement on the blue line.

The Blackhawks paid tribute to Murphy on Twitter:

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