The Chicago Blackhawks announced on Saturday that defenseman Connor Murphy has been placed on injured reserve due to a groin injury.
The 31-year-old has not participated in a game since logging over 19 and a half minutes during a 6-2 defeat against St. Louis in the Winter Classic on December 31.
So far this season, Murphy has tallied one goal and provided 12 assists across 38 appearances.
His stint on injured reserve has been marked retroactively to the game against the Blues, and the team’s interim coach, Anders Sorensen, mentioned that there is no clear timeline for Murphy’s return.
“It’s longer than a couple days,” Sorensen stated.

In a positive development, defenseman Alec Martinez was activated from injured reserve after recovering from a neck injury.
The 37-year-old made his return to the lineup for Saturday night’s 4-3 defeat at the hands of the Edmonton Oilers, taking the place of Wyatt Kaiser.
Sorensen noted that Martinez “looked good, kind of made some plays under pressure that we talked about.”
In his first appearance since December 7, Martinez recorded an assist.
He explained that he had been sidelined due to lingering effects from a puck hitting his neck.
“They were worried about vascular issues and things like that,” he remarked.
“It was a bit of a scary thing, obviously going to the hospital and everything. But I’m thankful the doctors handled it properly. All the ambulance staff, all the paramedics. There are protocols in place for a reason, and I’m very grateful for the way those guys handled it.”

Moreover, veteran forward Craig Smith missed his second consecutive game due to a back injury, with Sorensen classifying his condition as day-to-day.
The Blackhawks, currently holding a record of 14-27-2, have endured a tough stretch, losing eight out of their last ten contests.
Following a 5-3 loss to Detroit on Friday night, Sorensen made adjustments to the team’s lineup for the matchup against the Oilers.
These changes featured the young trio of Lukas Reichel, Frank Nazar, and Colton Dach, all around 22 years of age, forming a line together.
Nazar is set to turn 21 on Tuesday.

Regarding the new line’s performance against Edmonton, Sorensen commented, “There were some good moments. There were some moments where we need to improve. Just understanding who you’re playing against and managing pucks against those guys. But I liked some of the things that they did.”