Connor Murphy Eval

[CCook37]

Hawks fan here. Curious everyone's thought on Murphy. He's a big body, captained team USA in the IIHF. How good of a skater is he? Enjoy Hammer. Him and OEL are going to be a nightmare.

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[jacobhockey13]

I also posted this on the trade board and the Hawks board. General thoughts on Murphy.

Our board is a bit split on Murphy. We all like his commitment and attitude. No questions there.

We also like his physical play, he's one of the few guys who can clear a crease but whether the NHL continues to move away from allowing guys to do that is anybody's guess.

I also suspect that Murphy will look better just being on as good of a team as Chicago. For years now he's been straddled with bad parters who made defensive gaffes and a bad forward core.

Off the rush is where he's most vulnerable in my mind. Players can possibly exploit him by either going wide with speed or making quick cuts. He's not a bad skater in general but it would really serve him well to improve skating backwards and become smoother in that area.

On the other hand, with the puck established in his own zone, he's a good defender. He doesn't leave guys open, plays a simple game, and generally doesn't give up much.

He's reliable breaking out and though he isn't one of those rare defenders with "vision", his passing is really accurate. He also has nice slap shot.

For years he's had "potential" because he was really impressive as a young rookie but hasn't really improved much. But AZ was also a much better team when he came in the league, so that's something to consider.

 

[Naych_PHX]

His skating isn't a problem. He's a big, lanky body. You won't have many complaints about him unless he's injured or not scoring.

 

[Hinterland]

His skating isn't a problem. He's a big, lanky body. You won't have many complaints about him unless he's injured or not scoring.

This. He's just a classic shutdown/stay at home guy. Not too much into fighting but apart from that a real warrior. Likes to hit and block. Very solid in his own zone. Decent skater. Could be a better passer or shooter and probably won't run the PP in Chicago. But overall a huge loss for the Coyotes. Mostly because of his contract, his aggressive style and his leadership on and off the ice.