Death, taxes, and the Edmonton Oilers handing out movement clauses to their players.

Edmonton’s trend of doling out versions of no-movement, no-trade clauses continued Monday when they signed defenceman Connor Murphy to a five-year contract extension.

Murphy’s new deal, which carries a $4.1 million cap hit, is very similar in structure to Jason Dickinson’s new five-year deal with team, PuckPedia reported Monday.

The contract carries a full no-movement clause in each of the first three years, and a 16-team approved trade list in the final two years, just like Dickinson’s. One area where the two contracts differ, PuckPedia reported, is that Murphy will receive a $1.5 million signing bonus in each of the first four years, and a $1 million bonus in the fifth year. Dickinson, meanwhile, will receive a $1.5 million bonus in each of the first three years, and a $1 million bonus in each of the final two.

Murphy will earn $2.6 million in salary in each of the first four years, and $3.1 million in the fifth year.

Getting Murphy signed was an important piece of business of the Oilers, especially in the wake of a potential Darnell Nurse trade. As it stands, the Oilers’ blue line has five of six spots locked up, with Evan Bouchard, Mattias Ekholm, Jake Walman, Ty Emberson, and Murphy. Spencer Stastney showed he could play in a limited role last year, and will play some NHL minutes this season, but it’s not unreasonable to expect the Oilers to continue to scan the defensive market for Nurse’s replacement

The Oilers have $7.145 million in cap space Monday after signing Dickinson and Murphy, according to PuckPedia, with six NHL unrestricted agents, Adam Henrique, Jack Roslovic, Kasperi Kapanen, Max Jones, Curtis Lazar and Connor Ingram, and two NHL restricted free agents in Colton Dach and Stastney.

Zach Laing is Oilersnation’s managing editor and The Nation Network’s news director. He can be followed on X at @zjlaing, or reached by email at zach.laing@bettercollective.com.