Is Connor Murphy getting Trade Interest?

It seems like forever since we have all seen Connor Murphy on the ice for the Chicago Blackhawks. Murphy, has been out now for 48 days with a strained groin. The 30 year old defenseman , a leader in the community and in the locker room, should have been a top 4 staple on the blue line all season however this injury seems to be lingering for quite some time at this point.

Elliotte Friedman on his 32 Thoughts Notebook (posted today) did mention that, "I've heard some interest in Colin Blackwell and Connor Murphy, but the latter is injured, which crushes the possibility". You can read the entire article via his twitter account (@FriedgeHNIC) here:

The note on Blackwell isn't surprising as the pending UFA has come back from injury and been an excellent contributor to an anemic bottom 6. Murphy, however is a surprise to see as a mention as not only was Murphy having a sub-par season to his standard before the injury, but also for the shear fact that he has 2 remaining seasons (after this one) at a 4.4m cap hit.

A few seasons ago, that may have been a bit below his value as an on-ice asset as well as a player respected in the community (pride night involvement amongst notable instances) as well as helping out the Blackhawks (as evidence by his letter wearing "A" he adorns on his Chicago jersey). Today though, now past the age of 30, injuried, and not playing his typical brand of dependable defense it was a little bit of a revelation to see his name instead of someone like Tyler Johnson.

With just 4 days to go until the conclusion of the Trade Deadline (trade coverage in the links below), would it be a suprise if Connor Murphy gets dealt? Absolutely! Still, if someone as connected as Sportsnets' Elliotte Freidman makes a mention it is worth keeping an eye on at this point.

Should the NHL move up the NHL Trade Deadline?

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