The Chicago Blackhawks will be without Connor Murphy for the next while and have placed him on long-term injured reserve with a groin injury. That means he will have to miss a minimum of ten games and 24 days. The team has recalled Dennis Gilbert from the AHL in the meantime, and acquired Ian McCoshen from Florida last night.
Murphy hasn’t been quite the player that the Blackhawks hoped for when they acquired him from the Arizona Coyotes in 2017, but he was still logging more than 21 minutes a night this season in the five games for which he was (relatively) healthy. The 26-year old never developed a ton of offensive ability but can still use his long reach and physicality to shut down things in the defensive zone.
The Blackhawks have revamped a large part of their defense this season with the additions of Calvin de Haan, Olli Maatta and Slater Koekkoek, and will now have to rely on the newcomers even more.
Gilbert, who was picked in the third round of the 2015 draft, has only played two games in his NHL career so far, but is still an interesting prospect for the Blackhawks. A solid presence on the Notre Dame blueline, it will be interesting to see if he gets much of an opportunity in Murphy’s absence.