The Chicago Blackhawks are in dire need of cutting salaries to add cap space. That is why they decided to trade away defenseman Niklas Hjalmarsson to the Arizona Coyotes for defenseman Connor Murphy and prospect Laurent Dauphin. Let’s see the ramifications on how this trade will affect both teams.

First, let’s start with the Arizona Coyotes. Receiving Hjalmarsson will be a huge boost to Arizona’s defensive core. As a defensive defenseman, he will be placed on the first pairing alongside Oliver Ekman-Larsson, a defenseman known for offensive abilities. These two will make a great pair since there will always be one defenseman who will be ready to get back and play defense while the other one will help his team pinch, score or generate scoring chances. These two also should have chemistry with each other since they have both played for the same Swedish team. They were teammates during the 2014 Winter Olympics which saw Sweden winning a Silver medal and also played together in the 2016 World Cup where Sweden won a Bronze medal. Since they are both from the same country and have played together before, introductions in the locker room will not be an issue as Hjalmarsson will be united with a friendly face. The Coyotes also need help on the penalty kill since they placed 27th last season. Hjarlmarsson was a penalty killer for the Blackhawks and with his defensive skills can definitely help the cause in Arizona. The Coyotes parted ways with veteran Shane Doan and another veteran on the team Radim Vrbata, is likely going to be a free agent on July 1st. With a young team, they will need some veteran presence which Hjalmarsson brings to the table. In 73 games last season, Hjalmarsson had 5 goals and 13 assists and +/- rating of 12.

The Chicago Blackhawks freed up only $250 thousand in cap space after trading Hjarlmarsson away. Hjalmarsson’s contract was worth just over $4 million while Murphy’s is $3.85 million. Murphy, who is a defensive defenseman, will likely be on the second line pairing with Michal Kempny. Murphy will also be able to fill in for Hjalmarsson on the team’s penalty kill since Hjalmarsson played a large part in clearing pucks down ice. Murphy is a defense first type of player and has the potential to grow into a great penalty killer under Coach Joel Quenneville. With defensemen Duncan Keith and Brent Seabrook as teammates, both can help Murphy develop and teach him the ways of the game. Murphy has played in the NHL for four seasons; he played in 258 games scoring 13 goals and 36 assists for 49 points with +/- rating of -30. Prospect Laurent Dauphin will spend his next season in the AHL with the Rockford IceHogs even though he spent last season in both the AHL and NHL. In Arizona, he had 2 goals and 1 assist in 24 games; in the AHL he played in 38 games and scored 17 goals and registered 11 assists for 28 points. He is 22 with time on his side to develop could be a great two-way center.

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