Connor Murphy Stabilizes Blackhawks Blue Line & Alex Vlasic

Connor Murphy is one of those players you don’t realize how important they are until they are missing from the lineup. The veteran defenseman is one of the toughest players on the ice, and he stabilizes the blue line. Last Wednesday night was his second game back after missing five weeks with a groin injury. During the second period against Edmonton, he took a puck off the knee from one of his teammates, but he was able to shake it off eventually.

“It’s one thing to block a shot, but when it’s from your own team, it hurts a little more,” he said with a smile.

Even with the friendly fire, Murphy said he got his legs back under him ahead of the game after returning to action on Feb. 1.

“The first game was tough in Florida; they were all over us,” he admitted. “It was hard when you didn’t have a lot of practice time to get into D-zone battle drills and stuff. Then, we had a few practices that were good and harder before the Edmonton game, so I felt better. So, hopefully, I can continue to build off that.”

Injury Bug Keeps Biting

Since being acquired from the Arizona Coyotes in 2017, Murphy has been the steady force of the Blackhawks blue line. You know exactly what you’re going to get from every night. He plays a straightforward, hard-nosed defensive style of hockey. He embraces contact and does not shy away from blocking shots.

Murphy’s biggest issue during his tenure in Chicago has been staying on the ice. Various injuries have cost him 114 games. Groin injuries have led to 60 games missed, including 13 this season. He’s dealt with back and hip injuries as well as concussions.

The Blackhawks are a better team when Murphy is on the ice, and that’s been proven again this season. Having him in the lineup puts everyone in the right place. Nobody needs to try to play above their abilities in roles they shouldn’t be in. He is also the best partner for Alex Vlasic, who will be a leader on the back end for years to come.

Connor Murphy Makes Alex Vlasic Better

No pairing has had more ice time together than Murphy and Vlasic, with 390:27. They have the fourth-best Corsi for percentage (CF%) of pairings with at least 100 minutes together at 42.3. The second-most pair used this season is Vlasic and Louis Crevier. These two played nearly exclusively together during Crevier’s 23 games before suffering a concussion in the same game Murphy returned. In the 249:09 of 5v5 ice time together, they posted a 39.8 CF%.

Vlasic has struggled a bit over the past month, some of which can be attributed to playing with Crevier. The shot attempts against come at nearly the same rate for both pairings. Both pairings have a minus-2 goal differential, but Vlasic and Murphy have started a high percentage of their shifts in the defensive zone. Vlasic and Crevier have benefited from a .920 save percentage (SV%) from Blackhawks goaltenders, while the SV% with Murphy drops to .893. Vlasic leads the team with 68 giveaways, with 37 coming in the 23 games paired with Crevier.

The point of this exercise is not to slam Crevier. He’s not a bad defenseman. The former seventh-round pick improved over the 23 games before his injury. However, the eye test and numbers show that Vlasic plays better when paired with Murphy.  This is something to keep in mind as Murphy’s name continues to find its way into trade rumors. Does he bring more value to this team than what can be acquired for him in a trade? The answer is likely yes, but general manager Kyle Davidson ultimately decides.