Blackhawks trade Connor Murphy to Canadian contender

The Edmonton Oilers want to make a third straight trip to the Stanley Cup Final, and GM Stan Bowman knows that he must do whatever is necessary to maximize the window of superstar captain Connor McDavid while he's still with the team.

With the trade deadline coming this Friday, it looks like the Oilers are about to acquire some defensive help from the Chicago Blackhawks.

Per NHL analyst Elliotte Friedman, the Blackhawks are close to a deal that would send Connor Murphy to the Oilers, saying that trade talks are intense and this deal will likely come to fruition imminently.

So far this year with the Blackhawks, he has 13 points (4G, 9A) in 60 games.

The trade deadline is this Friday, March 6.

Murphy signed a 4 year contract with the Blackhawks with an AAV (average annual value) of $4.4 million, and he's going into the last year of that contract.

Because of his contract status, he's been included in multiple trade rumours in recent months, and with Chicago on track to once again miss the playoffs, he's a likely player to be moved.

Taken with the 20th overall pick in the 2011 NHL Entry Draft by the Phoenix Coyotes, Murphy has played in 805 total games and has 173 points (47G, 126A).

He's in the last year of his current contract with an AAV (average annual value) of $4.4 million.

Sportsnet's Mark Spector has confirmed the trade.

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