Are Jake McCabe/Connor Murphy Likely To Be Traded?

The pair of veteran defenseman have been popular names in the rumor mill ahead of the March 3 NHL Trade Deadline.

What keeps a hockey fan's head spinning more than the NHL Traded Deadline rumor mill? In this case, the Chicago Blackhawks' fanbase is wondering what the hell is going to happen on March 3? Will Patrick Kane and Jonathan Toews be on their way to new addresses? Will names like Max Domi and Andreas Athanasiou be on the move? Aside from that, there are a ton of names garnering interest from teams around the league. 

On the last Four Feathers Podcast, Jonnie and Tony discussed what the Kane/Toews situation looks like, in addition to a number of other ideas. However, names that are maybe flying more under the radar than most are a pair of veterans on the blue line. According to reports, Jake McCabe and Connor Murphy are topics of interest on the trade market. 

According to reports from Frank Seravelli, both McCabe and Murphy are the subjects of trade calls around the league. However, considering McCabe is the only player of the two listed on his trade target board, it appears he would be more likely to depart than Murphy, who signed an extension to remain in Chicago just before the 2021-22 season. 

Per Seravelli's Daily Faceoff Trade Targets board, here is what he had to say about McCabe: 

"The Blackhawks have received a number of calls on McCabe and teammate Connor Murphy in recent weeks. Why? They’re two cost-controlled defensemen with reasonable cap hits. Edmonton, Los Angeles and Toronto are believed to be among the interested teams. Complicating factors include 1) McCabe has a seven-team ‘no-trade’ list that word is includes all seven Canadian teams with the exception of the Maple Leafs; and 2) McCabe does have a questionable injury history, but he’s been healthy this season. Where it gets really interesting on McCabe is if a team is willing to pay Chicago to leverage their cap space and retain half on him. All of a sudden, McCabe for two more seasons at a bargain $2 million cap hit will warrant a juicier return."

McCabe's situation is a loaded one. As indicated, the seven-team no-trade list already complicates matters with the Edmonton Oilers involved in talks for the veteran. However, based on McCabe's strong season in Chicago, he will be a hot topic for teams needing a veteran blue liner. 

Now, as Seravelli mentions at the end of his bit, the Hawks retaining half of McCabe's salary for the next two season makes him the best bargain available on the market. Perhaps a team who is close to a championship would be willing to part with a high draft pick, or a solid prospect and a pick for his services. A player with more control beyond a rental year is an upper hand for Kyle Davidson. 

Separately, Murphy's departure sounds like a lesser likelihood, as mentioned before. Murphy carries a longer term and dollar value, making his move a little more difficult to engineer. In addition, given his role as an alternate captain on the team, keeping him around through the rebuild, assuming he wants to be here, could be very beneficial. He's a perfect role model for some of the younger up and coming defensemen such as Isaak Phillips, Alex Vlasic, and others. 

Like McCabe, Murphy's $4.4 million cap hit extends beyond this season. This is year one of his four-year deal. Add in a modified no-trade clause with a 10-team no-trade list, and he clearly becomes the harder deal to execute. Never say never, but Murphy will likely remain in Chicago, at least until the conclusion of the 2022-23 campaign. 

Who will stay, who will go? There are a lot of questions to be answered between now and March 3. That said, be sure to keep up with Four Feather Pod for our Four Feathers Tankcentre on March 3 for all the trade deadline chaos.