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A closer look at the Oilers’ newest defenceman, Connor Murphy, his PK work who he should play with
Edmonton Oilers Connor Murphy
Photo credit: Talia Sprague-Imagn Images
Sean Panganiban
Mar 4, 2026, 14:00 ESTUpdated: Mar 4, 2026, 15:04 EST
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The Edmonton Oilers know how to put the puck in the back of the net, having scored 22 goals over their last four games. Their obvious problem, however, is keeping it out of their own, and the recent addition of Connor Murphy should help with that.
The Oilers have elite offensive talent that other NHL teams can only dream about. In Murphy, they’re adding a heavy at 6-foot-4 and 212 pounds, right-handed defensive specialist the team has needed since the departure of former Oiler Adam Larsson.
As Zach Laing noted, the newest Oiler D-man has posted strong suppression rates over the last two seasons. With him on the ice, the Chicago Blackhawks have given up just 2.47 goals against per hour at five-on-five, compared to 3.15 with him off the ice. Also, to show just how much the Blackhawks relied on Murphy’s defensive acumen, according to Natural Stat Trick, the blueliner had the second-most defensive zone starts on the team (252) compared to only 55 offensive zone starts.
Adding to that, Oilers’ general manager Stan Bowman discussed the qualities he values in the team’s newest D-man on the OilersNow show, saying:
“He’s someone that takes a lot of pride in playing defence and being hard to play against. He’s got that physical side, and he’s willing to play a rugged game. I think he enjoys the challenge of playing against good players and trying to shut them down. That’s what — he knows what he is as a player, and if I had to say one thing about him, it’s that he has a clear identity as someone that takes a lot of pride in playing hard defence.
Whether it’s battling in front of the net, in the corners, blocking shots, making a simple play, or getting the puck going to the offensive zone, I think those are attributes that are in high demand in pressure situations. I think it’s a lot of what we’re lacking right now, and he’ll be a nice addition to our defensive group.”
Hearing that, it’s quite the tune Bowman is singing compared to last season, when the Oilers’ identity on the backend seemed to favour puck movers, like John Klingberg, who played in the top four in stretches during last playoffs. But giving up 16 goals over the Oilers’ last four games suggests the team needs a solid, not flashy, defensive type — and Murphy, who led the Blackhawks with 87 blocks, certainly fits the bill.
By all accounts, Murphy is physical, willing to stand up for his teammates, and isn’t shy about dropping the gloves, with four fights under his belt this season. That said, despite his strong defensive focus, he can still make a good first pass. An intriguing stat from allthreezones.com shows that one area where Murphy excels — in fact, one of the best in the league — is making passes from the center lane per 60 minutes (3.76 per 60), indicating he can effectively transition the puck up to his forwards.
Overall, bringing in a player like Murphy, with a truly defensive mindset to help keep pucks out of the Oilers’ net, is exactly what this team needs right now. Now, let’s take a look at his penalty-killing work and who he should play with to start.

A look at Murphy’s work on the penalty-kill

The Oilers added a true PK specialist in Murphy, and he should slot into the unit seamlessly. That said, Bowman also mentioned there shouldn’t be much of a learning curve for him, saying, “[The Blackhawks’] structure and the way they kill is the same as we kill, so I think he should be able to jump right into the mixture with us without a lot of new learning of a different system.”
The Blackhawks have the number one-ranked penalty kill in the league, and before Murphy was traded to the Oilers, he led the team with 177:16 minutes played on the unit. The 32-year-old was a big part of that group with his big, tough presence in front of the net, and he also led Chicago with the most blocks on the PK (22), ranking 15th in the NHL in that category.
That shot-blocking mentality on the PK will definitely help Edmonton and I think back to as recently as last game against the Ottawa Senators, where Drake Batherson sniped one on the left-side half wall while the Oilers were killing a penalty, beating Connor Ingram high, with Ty Emberson failing to get in front of the shot before it went in.
Another stat that pops out in his PK work is his 11 shorthanded hits, which ranks 13th in the league, and to me, that means he’s likely erasing players from the play before getting back into the action.
Additionally, Mario Tirabassi of CHGO, who covers the Blackhawks, was on the Kevin Karius Show on Sports 1440 and described Murphy’s defensive prowess on the PK, while also highlighting the blueliner’s ability to transition the puck well while shorthanded, saying:
“He’s a guy that can clear the net. He’s a guy that can go into corners, get pucks back, and get them out. I think that one thing that doesn’t really get a lot of attention with him is his ability to get a play going the other way. And the Blackhawks, the last couple of years on the penalty kill, have actually been pretty dangerous with shorthanded chances, and I think some of that can be attributed to Murphy’s ability to get pucks out and play in transition.”
On that note, Murphy has one shorthanded assist this season, but his ability to transition the puck on the PK is better reflected by the fact that he tied for first on the Blackhawks with eight shorthanded high-danger chances.
Having said that, with someone like Murphy who can create shorthanded chances, and with Connor McDavid — who has played the fourth-most minutes (73:19) among forwards on the penalty kill this season, leading the way on the Oilers with 19 scoring chances shorthanded — perhaps we’ll see some shorties scored down the stretch for Edmonton.

Can Murphy be the next “Darnell Nurse Whisperer”?

So, who do you pair Murphy with? Jake Walman was slightly banged up last game against the Senators and didn’t play the third period. Darnell Nurse has struggled overall this season, especially since the Olympic break, but he recently admitted he needs to play better and took accountability before last game against Ottawa. That said, if I lean on my recency bias from Nurse’s poor play, I’d put Murphy on the second pairing with Walman, and move Nurse to the third pairing.
However, looking at the bigger picture, Nurse can certainly play better than he has recently, and it might be worth seeing if Murphy can find chemistry with him at some point — if Nurse, whose name has been circulating in trade chatter lately, isn’t traded. Why? Despite his recent struggles, Nurse has more to give, carries a hefty price tag to be playing on the third pair, and for a lengthy playoff run, you need him at his best. Ultimately, you want to see if Murphy could be the next “Nurse Whisperer” — a defensive partner who can bring out the best in Nurse.
The Walman and Nurse pairing just wasn’t working — maybe both players lean the same way and struggle to balance offence and defence, preventing them from complementing each other. And I know we shouldn’t have to say the Oilers need someone to bring the best out of him, for the amount of money Nurse makes, but that’s just where we are, and perhaps it is that defensive-minded type who can settle Nurse down and help elevate his game. We’ve seen that before with former Oiler Ethan Bear, who played well with Nurse, and more recently with Troy Stecher, who, in stretches, brought out the best in the Oilers’ D-man.
Having said that, Murphy is a lot more established — a proven NHL veteran compared to those two players, a true bona fide defensive defenceman — and could be just what the doctor ordered for Nurse. If that doesn’t work, the Oilers can always turn to the Walman–Murphy pairing — their two biggest defensive additions leading up to the trade deadline over the past two years.

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