Murphy Felt "Partially Responsible" After Korchinski Didn't Make Blackhawks

Chicago Blackhawks’ veteran and the main defense partner of Kevin Korchinski in his rookie season, Connor Murphy, had nothing but great things to say about the 19-year-old after he was cut from the opening night roster in his second season.

Due to the rules that a player can’t play in the AHL until he is a certain age, there were two options with Korchinski as an 18-year-old. The first was to send him back to junior where he dominated. The second was to keep him on the Blackhawks all season. Chicago went with the latter.

Murphy said that “(Korchinski) did earn to be here last year, whether he would’ve with the rules or not. I think he showed a lot of great things.” Murphy explained that he would have rather been in the minors to start his career because it allows players to be around others their own age and make mistakes without having the same pressure when they do. “I’m happy for him to be able to go there, build his game, and have a lot of fun with a lot of friends…”

Murphy was only able to play 46 games last season. He was Korchinski’s main defense partner when he was healthy, but half a season of instability was tough on the rookie. Murphy stated that, “My initial reaction is to just feel partially responsible for not playing better with him and for him. As a partner you want to be able to stick together for a long time.”

This is a good sign of a leader and great for Korchinski to have as a partner when he does return to the NHL. The young d-man played over 200 minutes at 5-on-5 with four different defensemen last season, one of them being Murphy. The pairing’s time together was anything but boring. Of the four defensemen Korchinski spent that time with, he and Murphy had the best expected goals for per 60 minutes, but also the highest expected goals against per 60 as well.

Related: Korchinski Surprisingly Part of Blackhawks’ Latest Cuts

Murphy made sure to explain, “I think overall, he’s got such a natural ability of skating and is offensively gifted and the breakouts he can make with the puck are so big. I would say, if anything, as a new defenseman, it’s just about positioning and learning some systems of the pro game of where to be and making the job easier on yourself.”

It is not easy to jump from junior and that competition/training right into the NHL. He goes from playing against undeveloped teenagers to seasoned veterans that are in the best league in the world. Korchinski only scored five goals and 15 points in 76 games, but in the WHL he scored 11 goals and 73 points in 54 games in his final season.

“(Korchinski) has one of the hardest parts already mastered. It’s his skating ability and his hockey sense and vision. That’s something, to this day, that I don’t even have,” Murphy said. “So for him to be at that elite level already, when the rest of his game comes along, he’s going to be a stud defenseman in the NHL for a long time.”

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Since Korchinski didn’t get the natural development of going to the AHL and hashing things out before making the jump to the NHL, the process is a bit reversed, but will still help him all the same. His teammates are supportive and know he’s going to be back and better than ever sooner rather than later.

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