Connor Murphy

The Blackhawks added the Jones brothers via trade and Jake McCabe via unrestricted free agency this past summer, but that won't impact Murphy's status as a key, stay-at-home defender for Chicago. He has quietly developed into an underrated player. Murphy doesn't bring much in the way of offensive production -- the most points he has tallied in any one season is 19 -- but Murphy averaged a career-high 22:09 of ice time per game last season in addition to finishing with 102 hits and 123 blocks. It's the latter two categories that drive any fantasy value Murphy may have, as he is a valid late-round pick in pools that give a significant bump for blocks and hits.

Murphy enjoyed a career year with 19 points in 58 games last year. The 27-year-old blueliner was also his usual self in the physical categories, adding 128 hits and 138 blocked shots while featuring in a top-four role. It's expected Murphy will see similar usage in 2020-21, which gives him an outside chance of reaching the 20-point threshold if everything goes just right. With a lack of power-play time, it's more likely he lands around 15 points, but he should be able to post 100-plus hits and blocks, which gives him some mild appeal in deeper fantasy formats.

Murphy missed the first 30 games of the 2018-19 campaign due to a back injury, but he was probably Chicago's best defensive-minded blueliner upon his return, notching five goals and 13 points while posting a plus-12 rating in 52 games - an impressive feat for a player suiting up for a team that ended the season with a minus-24 goal differential. While Murphy's defensively sound play was a breath of fresh air for the Blackhawks' leaky blue-line corps, it wasn't enough to make him a viable fantasy option, even in the deepest of formats. The 6-foot-4 American has never scored more than 17 points in a season since making his NHL debut in 2013-14, and that almost certainly won't change in 2019-20, so there's no reason for him to be on any fantasy owner's radar.

Murphy was decent during his first year with the Blackhawks in 2017-18, picking up two goals, 14 points and 109 shots on net while averaging 16:22 of ice time per contest. The 25-year-old American has developed into a solid stay-at-home defender and he should continue to improve in that regard this season, but Murphy simply doesn't have the offensive upside necessary to be considered a viable option in most fantasy settings. As a result, he should go undrafted in the majority of fantasy formats in 2018-19.

Murphy heads to the Windy City after four arduous years with the lowly Coyotes. Despite his status as 2011’s first-round (20th overall) draft choice, the Boston native has managed a mere 49 points (13 goals, 36 assists) and an equally uninspiring minus-30 rating over 258 career contests. However, his moving to a Blackhawks team that ranked in the top half in goals for and against last year points to a potential bounce-back campaign in 2017-18.

In his third season, Murphy took a step forward, earning six goals, 11 assists, 175 hits and 101 shots on goal while also sporting a respectable plus-5 rating (especially considering most of his team was in the negative). The 23-year-old comes into the 2016-17 campaign next to special talent Oliver Ekman-Larsson, which improves the youngster’s potential to take his game to the next level. While he’s not an offensive juggernaut by any means, the blueliner will be tasked with finishing plays created by OEL. Unfortunately, that alone will most likely not be enough to keep Murphy relevant in most formats, unless you are looking for hits and blocked shots (139 last year).

After posting eight points in 30 games in 2013-14, Murphy seemed to take a step back last season offensively, as he registered only seven points in 73 games with a minus-27 rating. He did rank 26th in the league with 142 blocked shots and delivered 137 hits, which adds some value in deep leagues, but his offensive limitations will put a ceiling on how useful he is most leagues.

Murphy played 30 games for Arizona in 2013-14, scoring eight points and a plus-5 rating. When he played, he actually played quite a lot, ranking 10th on the team with 17:58 minutes per game. His presence was unexpected, however, since he wasn't the Coyotes' top prospect on defense, and although head coach Dave Tippett was complimentary of his play, it is not clear if he has a spot locked up for the coming year. Although he has the pedigree of a first-round pick (and the benefit of NHL genetics), Murphy may be more of an asset in real life than in fantasy, as he has not shown the offensive skill (only 13 points in 36 games with AHL Portlantd) or toughness to make an impact.

Murphy played in 35 games in the OHL last season, delivering 26 points and 26 PIMs. The 19-year-old first-round pick from 2011 needs more development time so he will likely remain in the OHL for 2012-13.

Murphy, who will play at Miami University (Ohio) this season, hopes to show that he's fully recovered from a stress fracture in a back vertebrae. He showed a flash of offensive skills from the blue line with the U.S. National Development Team, but he's still a few years away from being considered as a potential fantasy candidate, even in keeper leagues.