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Sports Tuesday, March 3, 2026 | | |
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Good morning, Chicago. The Blackhawks made their first move ahead of Friday's NHL trade deadline, sending veteran defenseman Connor Murphy — their longest-tenured player — to the Oilers for a second-round pick in the 2028 NHL draft. It was an expected ending to the 32-year-old’s time in Chicago. As the Hawks shift to a younger lineup, Murphy’s average ice time had dwindled to 16:34, his lowest since his first season with the Hawks in 2017-18. Blackhawks defenseman Connor Murphy takes a shot against the Bruins on Jan. 17, 2026, at the United Center. (Chris Sweda/Chicago Tribune) A first-round draft pick (No. 20) by the Arizona Coyotes in 2011, Murphy came to Chicago in a June 2017 trade for Niklas Hjalmarsson and gained knowledge and leadership skills from the likes of Jonathan Toews, Patrick Kane, Duncan Keith and others. Murphy has 47 goals, 126 assists, 535 penalty minutes and a minus-66 rating in 805 career games — 547 of
them with the Hawks, 12th in franchise history among defensemen. Hawks general manager Kyle Davidson likely isn't done, with veteran forwards Jason Dickinson and Ilya Mikheyev other names that could be on the move before the 2 p.m. Friday deadline. Today’s eNewspaper edition | Subscribe to more newsletters | Asking Eric | Horoscopes | Puzzles & Games | Today in History | | | | Guard Hannah Hidalgo averaged 28.5 points in two games and was named the ACC player of the week for a league-record seventh time this season. | | | | | One of the most encouraging parts of Chicago Cubs prospect Jefferson Rojas’ journey is the damage he’s doing offensively, predominantly against pitchers older than him. | | | | | Chicago White Sox catcher Edgar Quero entered Monday tied for the major-league spring training lead with nine RBIs. | | | | | Nick Martinelli said he has “a little bit of angst” as he closes out his Northwestern career and looks to the future. | | | | | Connor Murphy was the longest-tenured Chicago Blackhawk, having arrived in June 2017, and he had been an alternate captain since the 2021-22 season. | | | | | No. 8 Michigan State moved up five places in the AP Top 25 after beating Purdue and Indiana. Illinois fell one spot to No. 11 after losing to Michigan. | | | |
