Coyotes ink Connor Murphy to 6-year deal

The Arizona Coyotes locked up restricted free-agent defenseman Connor Murphy with a six-year contract extension, the club announced Thursday.

Murphy will reportedly earn $3.85 million each season throughout the life of the contract, a source told Arizona Sports' Craig Morgan.

The 23-year-old top-four defender is an integral building block for the Coyotes, and his progress through three pro seasons suggests this deal could have enormous value down the line.

Murphy established career-best offensive totals and was a far more effective defender in his third campaign. Whether it's on the top pair with Oliver Ekman-Larsson - a look Dave Tippett showed in the latter portion of last season - or on the second pairing with newcomer Alex Goligoski, Murphy will have the proper support, giving him the opportunity to improve his underlying stats and continue refining his skills.

Arizona still has restricted free-agent forward Tobias Rieder and fellow top-four defenseman Michael Stone to sign.