The road to a steady job in the NHL may not have been lined with potholes and detours, but it sure did offer Coyotes defenseman Connor Murphy a speed bump or two.
After getting selected 20th overall in 2011, Murphy required arthroscopic surgery to fix his knee and then underwent another procedure in 2013 – all this after suffering a stress fracture in his back before the draft.
An injury-riddled introduction to the organization could have raised red flags but once he regained health, Murphy went to work as one of the team’s top prospects.
He split the 2013-14 season between the Coyotes and the minors, taking the necessary steps to mature his game, and by 2014-15, he was a regular in the lineup.