The Chicago Blackhawks are set to trade away a longtime veteran defenseman

The Chicago Blackhawks were fortunate enough to make a majority of their trades during the season. They found their future starting goalie in Spencer Knight, and would add Joe Veleno, who may end up being a buyout candidate.

Now, according to The Fourth Period, Connor Murphy will be the Blackhawks' top trade chip during the offseason. He was listed on their top 20 trade candidates list. The team looked at moving him during the season, but injuries had stopped them from being able to do so.

While the Blackhawks don't need to clear cap, with $29 million in cap space at the moment, they could make a trade happen quicker by utilizing a second retention spot for Connor Murphy's salary.

Murphy is a solid shoo-in for a playoff contender, and could find himself on a team that the Blackhawks trade to (speculating, but maybe the Maple Leafs?). That just depends on whether or not Kyle Davidson could tap into their connections.

The Blackhawks have a full complement of defense built for the future with Alex Vlasic, Louis Crevier, Artyom Levshunov, Sam Rinzel, Kevin Korchinski, Ethan Del Mastro, Nolan Allan, and Wyatt Kaiser.

It seems unlikely that the Blackhawks will have Murphy return. With the prospects trickling in, they could still get something in return for Murphy now as a serviceable bottom-pairing defenseman.

In 68 games with the Blackhawks, he scored 19 (2-17) and 52 PIMs. He has one year of his $17.6 million deal left.