NHL Rumors: Connor Murphy's Trade Market Picking Up; 4 Teams Linked

The Chicago Blackhawks have dealt with Connor Murphy trade chatter for the past couple of years, but the league-wide market is expected to get louder now that the top right-shot names have started coming off the board. 

Murphy is a 32-year-old, right-shot, defense-first blueliner who is still logging tough minutes, and he’s also nearing the 800-game mark with 793 career regular-season games to his name. 

Why Connor Murphy is suddenly a popular call

For contenders, Murphy checks the boxes that get prioritized in February and March. He is sturdy, calm, and built for penalty-kill work, and he is on a manageable $4.4 million cap hit this season. 

Murphy is on the final year of his 4-year, $17.6M contract, and he will be a free agent after this season.

He has chipped in 8 points in 48 games this year, along with a -3 plus/minus rating, 69 blocked shots and 49 hits while averaging 16:01 time on ice. His average time on ice is the lowest in his 13-year career, which could indicate a willingness for Chicago to entertain a trade.

Connor Murphy lays a booming hit on Joel Farabee. He seemed to get banged up after the hit, but still drops the gloves & takes it to Farabee👊#Blackhawkspic.twitter.com/GxsQxlVlJj

— Talkin’ Hawkey (@TalkinHawkey) January 16, 2026

He's still a defender teams would trust when the game gets tight, including regular short-handed deployment, and would fit in well with a team wanting a reliable third-pair righty who can move up the lineup in a pinch without the whole structure falling apart.

Potential trade destinations to watch

If Chicago decides it’s time to cash in the expiring contract, the destinations that make the most sense are teams looking to fortify the right side without paying a big price. 

Toronto has been linked to right-shot help and would love a steadier defensive-minute eater for playoff-style games. Dallas is always hunting for playoff-proof depth on the back end. 

Detroit has been looking for ways to stabilize its defensive group during a push. Florida also makes sense as a win-now team that values hard, simple styles of play from its depth defenders. 

Hear from Connor Murphy on tonight’s game vs Winnipeg with the return of Jonathan Toews to Chicago
🎥👇 pic.twitter.com/pdOv171S9O

— CHGO Blackhawks (@CHGO_Blackhawks) January 19, 2026

Over his 13-year-career, Murphy has recorded 44 goals, 168 total points, a -66 plus/minus rating, and averaged 19:19 time on ice across 793 games.

He was a first-round pick (20th overall) by the Phoenix Coyotes in the 2011 NHL Entry Draft.

Photo Credit: Kevin Ng-Imagn Images