Arizona Coyotes: Connor Murphy Wins Player Of The Game Belt
After the Arizona Coyotes’ 3-1 win over the Dallas Stars, an unheralded candidate received the player of the game belt.
For many, the Arizona Coyotes season is notable for the emergence of Max Domi, Anthony Duclair, and Louis Domingue.
That trio has taken their respective rookie seasons by the nose and ran with them, exceeding most expectations heading into 2015-16.
It may turn out, however, that the biggest development of this year of rebuilding for the Arizona Coyotes was the sudden growth of Connor Murphy.
It seems like ages ago, but Murphy was scratched by head coach Dave Tippett for three games in December due to subpar play. Murphy wasn’t engaged like Tippett wanted him to be so the head coach took the only avenue left to get the message across; he put him in the press box.
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Some players pout or wilt under that kind of punishment. Connor Murphy? He came out of the stands and back onto the ice on December 11th a whole new player. He scored 3 goals in 8 games upon his return, one shy of his career high, and upon being paired with Oliver Ekman-Larsson appeared to be the best compliment on the roster to the Coyotes’ premier defender.
Previously OEL had been paired with Michael Stone and had seen middling results. With Murphy and Ekman-Larsson together, the Arizona Coyotes rattled off a 5-2-2 record through the rest of December and catapulted themselves firmly into the playoff race, defying all expectations.
What changed with Connor Murphy? His tenacity. Watch the 6’4 212 lb. defenseman in the months following the scratch and Murphy has effectively replaced the demoted Steve Downie as the Coyotes pest and pseudo-enforcer.
He hasn’t thrown a punch in a fight in 2015-16, however #5 is constantly under the skin of the opposition and mixing it up after the whistle. His increased reliance on “grit and sandpaper” has made him a more valuable hockey player, as the old guys would say.
With Murphy regularly mixing it up and delivering shots and punishment, OEL is free to do what he does best. Orchestrate. Score. Produce. The pairing has benefited Murphy as well, who has more than doubled his career high points total from 7 to 15.
The bounce back performance and hard work was rewarded by Zbynek Michalek on Thursday night.
The Czech native teased fellow countryman Martin Hanzal before showing some love to his own defensive unit, awarding Connor Murphy the belt to applause from the room.
The young defender appeared to be caught by surprise by the choice. No one else should be.
While there have been growing pains, Murphy’s emergence and continued development has been a big piece of the Arizona Coyotes path back to respectability in 2015-16.
Next: Coyotes Defensive Outlook: Exploring The Current Roster And Possible Changes In 2016-17
At the tender age of 22, he has plenty of time to grow and become a vital cog in creating a contender in the desert.