Oilers Acquire Connor Murphy for Defensive Depth

0:00From the Daily News Now Network, this is NHL News Today. Subscribe to keep up with every headline, every game. The Edmonton Oilers made a key trade on March 2nd, 2026, grabbing defenseman Conor Murphy from the Chicago Black Hawks for A. Second round draft pick in 2028. Chicago kept half of his $4,400,000 salary, so Edmonton takes on a $2,200,000 cap hit. To pull off the deal, the Oilers shuffled their roster by calling up Ike Howard in Josh Samansky for Cap relief, then placed Andrea's Jan Markon. Long-term injured reserve, Howard heads back to the American hockey league soon while Samansky sticks around. Fans have pushed for better defensive depth for weeks, and Murphy fits the bill as a tough, stay-at-home guy who's great at shutting down plays in his own end. Pairing him with Darno Nurse could fix some of Edmonton's back-end issues this season. Murphy brings over 800 games of NHL experience from Chicago and Arizona,

1:02with 47 goals and 126 assists. His dad, Gord Murphy, was also an NHL player and coach for teams like the Flyers and Rangers. As a pending unrestricted free agent after this year, he might just be a rental unless the Oilers lock him up long-term. For now, he's set to stabilize their second pairing right away. This episode is supported by our sponsor, Relax Deeper, Reset Faster, Comfort You Can Hear, S-O-L-I-SoliPillo.com