Chicago Blackhawks ink Murphy to 4-year extension

The Blackhawks came to terms with defenseman Connor Murphy Tuesday on a four-year contract extension that runs through the 2025-26 season.

It will carry a $4.4 million cap hit.

Murphy, acquired from Arizona for Niklas Hjalmarsson in the summer of 2017, has one year remaining on a deal that carries a $3.85 million hit.

The signing means that Murphy, Seth Jones and Jake McCabe are all under contract until at least 2024-25. Their combined cap hit is $17.9 million.

The 28-year-old Murphy, a staple on the penalty kill and a solid stay-at-home D-man, has 15 goals and 46 assists during his four seasons with the Hawks. He averaged a career-high 22:09 time on ice in 2020-21.

"When we acquired Connor in the summer of 2017, we had visions of him growing as both a player and leader in our organization for many years," said President of Hockey Operations and General Manager Stan Bowman. "He has transformed into a defenseman capable of matching up with the opponent's best players and someone we trust to help us preserve a lead in the final minutes. Connor's voice carries weight in our locker room as a veteran presence and we're thrilled that his development and leadership will continue as a Blackhawk."

Murphy has missed significant time with injuries in each of the last three years, however, sitting out the first 30 games of 2018-19 with a back injury. The next season he missed 11 games with a groin injury, and he sat out six games last season with a hip issue.

As a part of the extension, Murphy is recognizing front-line heroes by introducing a five-day campaign called $5 for No. 5. Fans can donate at Blackhawks.com/5for5. The money will be used to send meals, and Murphy will match up to the first 500 meals.

Murphy is scheduled to speak with the media Wednesday.