The Edmonton Oilers took care of a major piece of business on Sunday, re-signing trade deadline acquisition Jason Dickinson. Edmonton acquired the veteran forward at the NHL trade deadline this past season from the Chicago Blackhawks to boost its center depth.
Dickinson delivered just that, earning himself a five-year, $20 million contract. Now, the Oilers are getting ready to ink another deadline acquisition from Chicago. This time, it’s blueliner Connor Murphy.
In Monday’s edition of the 32 Thoughts Podcast, insider Elliotte Friedman declared that the Oilers were getting ready to ink Murphy to a new contract, keeping him in Oil Country for the foreseeable future.
While Friedman didn’t get into the specifics of the contract, he stated that the signing could happen as early as “today.”
That situation would take care of another major piece of business for the Oilers. The organization is looking to shore up its depth, while potentially making other upgrades. With about $10.5 million in cap space, Edmonton does have some wiggle room to make other additions to the roster.
The 33-year-old Murphy is coming off a four-year deal signed with the Blackhawks, worth $17.6 million. Likely, the deal with Edmonton could be in the three-year range, potentially carrying a similar cap hit.
The veteran blueliner has played in over 800 NHL regular-season games, but made his first official playoff appearance this past season. In six games, Murphy scored two goals and three points.
Before making the postseason with the Oilers, Murphy’s only other postseason experience was in 2020 during the play-in round and bubble playoffs.
Murphy Has Been Good Fit with Oilers
Overall, Connor Murphy has been a good fit for the Edmonton Oilers. Murphy gave The Oil the right-shot defenseman it needed to anchor its middle pairing. In particular, Murphy played the bulk of this time with Darnell Nurse.
With Nurse most likely leaving Edmonton this offseason, Murphy became an even more important piece on the team’s blue line. Moving forward, it’s likely the Oilers deploy Jake Walman in Nurse’s spot, making a Walman-Murphy pairing a reality moving forward.
That said, keeping Murphy was crucial precisely because of Nurse’s departure. The organization will need a veteran defenseman to provide stability beyond the top pairing of Mattias Ekholm and Evan Bouchard.
If and when the Oilers move Nurse, they’ll have additional cap space to add to the blue line. It will be interesting to see what other moves GM Stan Bowman makes to bolster the team’s defensive corps.
What to read next:
Other Moves Loom on the Horizon for Edmonton
Re-signing Dickinson and Murphy don’t figure to be the only moves Bowman makes this offseason. There’s still the matter of Darnell Nurse’s trade request, while also addressing the need in the crease.
The Oilers have a need for at least one more goalie, with Tristan Jarry under contract for this upcoming season. The organization will likely target a bona fide starting goalie, with some options out there.
The biggest free-agent goalie this summer is Sergei Bobrovsky. With the 38-year-old unlikely to return to Florida, the Oilers might be willing to pay up to get him.
There’s also Jordan Binnington in St. Louis, who continues to be the subject of trade speculation. The Toronto Maple Leafs might also be looking to move another goalie in their system.
Ultimately, there could be various options out there. The situation, nonetheless, will come down to the Oilers’ ability to find the requisite pieces to make something happen. This week, leading up to the 2026 NHL Draft, could be wrought with impactful moves.
Oilers Next Major Signing Could Be ‘Today’, Insider