Trevor Murphy has accepted his qualifying offer according to CapFriendly, meaning he’ll sign a one-year two-way contract with the Arizona Coyotes worth $715K at the NHL level. Murphy was a restricted free agent without arbitration rights, and had until July 15th to accept his qualifying offer.
Murphy, 22, came the Coyotes organization at the 2018 trade deadline and quickly made a bigger impact than he had in several years with the Nashville Predators. The undrafted defenseman made his NHL debut in March and ended up playing eight games for the Coyotes down the stretch. Recording three points in those games, Murphy showed off the quick puck moving and offensive skill that he’d exhibited in the first few seasons of his minor league professional career.
There are still holes in Murphy’s game and no one should expect him to step right into a full-time role with the Coyotes, but at the very least he should be an excellent piece for the Tucson Roadrunners in the AHL. His ability to quarterback a powerplay might not be needed in Arizona, but it will certainly be utilized by new minor league head coach Jay Varaday in Tucson.