BUFFALO, N.Y. — One of the primary reasons the Blackhawks acquired Nick Foligno from Boston two summers ago was so that Connor Bedard ... those players in Taylor Hall and Tyler Bertuzzi.

Murphy always puts in a shift defensively and has logged a team-high 93 blocks along with 70 hits. Wyatt Kaiser will replace Murphy in the lineup as Seth Jones' partner on the first defensive pairing.

When a player is hailed as "the next one" the way Chicago Blackhawks star Connor Bedard has been since ... best to enjoy it," Blackhawks forward Taylor Hall said. "It just means you're playing ...