Connor Murphy signs six-year deal with Arizona Coyotes

The Arizona Coyotes have signed restricted free agent defenseman Connor Murphy to a six-year deal worth $3.85 million per season.

The Arizona Coyotes have committed a lot of their efforts this offseason to improving their blue line. After trading for the rights to Alex Goligoski and signing him to a long-term deal, the Coyotes expressed interest in Kevin Shattenkirk and other trade targets. Those negotiations went nowhere, so they turned their attention to one of their own restricted free agents – Connor Murphy. The team has announced that Murphy has been signed to a six-year deal. He will reportedly have a cap hit of $3.85 million.

“We are extremely pleased to sign Connor to a long-term contract,” said Coyotes general manager John Chayka, via NHL.com. “At only 23, Connor has established himself as a very good NHL defenseman. He’s a great skater, a fierce competitor and he has an excellent work ethic. We look forward to him taking the next step and having him on our blue line for many years to come.”

Murphy had 17 points in 2015-16, playing over 20 minutes per game for the first time in his career. He set career highs in goals (six), assists (11), and points (17). He is expected to play alongside Goligoski on the team’s second pairing or alongside Oliver Ekman-Larsson on the team’s first pairing. Murphy’s game grew a lot last season, becoming a very close to even puck possession player after struggling in his first two seasons. Six years is a bit of a risk for someone like Murphy, but he should prove to be a nice value at his $3.85 million cap hit.