The Chicago Blackhawks have placed defenseman Connor Murphy on injured reserve due to a groin injury, as announced on Saturday.
The 31-year-old Murphy has been unavailable to compete since December 31, when he played over 19 minutes during a 6-2 defeat against the St. Louis Blues in the Winter Classic.
This season, he has contributed one goal and twelve assists in a total of 38 games.

Murphy’s time on injured reserve has been backdated to the Blades’ loss to the Blues, and interim coach Anders Sorensen indicated that there is no set timeframe for his return.
“It’s longer than a couple of days,” Sorensen remarked, highlighting the uncertainty regarding Murphy’s recovery.

In a positive development, defenseman Alec Martinez has been taken off the injured reserve list after recovering from a neck injury.
The 37-year-old Martinez participated in Saturday’s game against Edmonton, where he replaced Wyatt Kaiser in the lineup.
Meanwhile, veteran forward Craig Smith was again absent, missing his second game due to a back issue, with Sorensen labeling Smith’s condition as day-to-day.

Entering the match against Edmonton, the Blackhawks sported a record of 14 wins, 26 losses, and 2 overtime losses, having fallen in seven of their previous nine games.
After a 5-3 defeat in Detroit, Sorensen made several adjustments to the lineup before facing the Oilers, which included moving 22-year-old Lukas Reichel to play alongside young talents Frank Nazar and Colton Dach, also both 22 years old.
Nazar is set to celebrate his 21st birthday on Tuesday.

“I want to bring the young guys together but I also want to transition Reichel to the wing,” Sorensen explained.
“He’s spent a considerable amount of time in the center position, so we’re eager to see if this change can ignite his performance.”