A few hours after the 1:00 PM MT trade deadline passes on Friday, the Edmonton Oilers will throw their new additions straight into the deep end when the Eastern Conference-leading Carolina Hurricanes visit Rogers Place.

1. The Oilers made two trades earlier this week, both with the Blackhawks. First, they acquired defenceman Connor Murphy, then they added forwards Jason Dickinson and Colton Dach in a second deal. Heading to Chicago was Andrew Mangiapane, along with Edmonton’s 2027 first-round pick (top-12 protected), and a 2028 second-round pick.

Though some fans might have hoped for a bigger name or another goaltender, these additions make the Oilers a stronger club defensively, one that’s better positioned to play in tight playoff games. Edmonton ranks 26th in the league in goals against, and their penalty kill is below league average at 76.7 percent.

The Blackhawks don’t do many things well, but they can kill penalties. Chicago currently has the league’s top penalty kill percentage at 85.9 percent, so Stan Bowman reached out to his former club for some help. Both Murphy and Dickinson were among the players most heavily used by head coach Jeff Blashill on the penalty kill, and they’ll surely be used in that role with the Oilers as well.

Penalty killing often becomes more important in the playoffs when games tighten up and offence is harder to find. Good or bad special teams play can swing a series, as we’ve seen in recent years.

2. Murphy practiced in Edmonton with his new teammates on Thursday and lined up alongside Jake Walman. Mattias Ekholm was back in a familiar spot with Evan Bouchard, while Darnell Nurse skated beside Ty Emberson.

Both Nurse and Walman have played with a variety of different partners this season, including the latter spending time on his opposite side. Adding a right-handed veteran in Murphy gives the Oilers a solid and responsible option to play with either of those two defenders on their natural left side.

Over his past three seasons in Chicago, Murphy’s most common partner was Alex Vlasic, a 6-foot-6 defender who skates well and plays a shutdown game with reach and physicality.

3. The Hurricanes had a much calmer trade deadline this year than they did last season. In January of 2025, Carolina acquired Mikko Rantanen in a three-team deal that sent Martin Necas, Jack Drury, and a pair of draft picks to Colorado. After just 13 games, the pending unrestricted free agent made it clear he wouldn’t re-sign, so Carolina flipped him to Dallas for Logan Stankoven and a handful of picks.

With Friday afternoon’s deadline approaching, the Eastern Conference-leading Hurricanes appear comfortable heading into the playoffs with the group that they have. Carolina is 39-16-6 on the season, and the team ranks fifth in the league in both goals for and goals against.

4. The Hurricanes have a balanced offence with four lines that can score. The top line of Seth Jarvis, Sebastian Aho, and Andrei Svechnikov are the team’s top three scorers and they’ve combined for 71 of Carolina’s 210 goals. Middle-six forwards Nik Ehlers, Jordan Staal, Taylor Hall, Jackson Blake, Jordan Martinook, and Stankoven have produced 83 goals, while Eric Robinson and William Carrier have chipped in 17 goals from the fourth line.

5. The Canes have used three different goalies this season. The most consistent of the group has been Brandon Bussi, a 27-year-old rookie who Carolina grabbed off waivers from the Florida Panthers back in October. The undrafted Western Michigan University product spent four years in the minor-league system of the Boston Bruins and has a .903 save percentage in 29 games in his first NHL showing.

Veteran Frederik Andersen has struggled this season, posting a .874 save percentage over 24 games for the Hurricanes. The 36-year-old has been limited to 62 starts over the past three seasons because of injury. A hip injury has also kept Pyotr Kochetkov on the shelf for all but nine games this year.

6. Several teams around the Oilers bulked up ahead of the stretch drive. The biggest move in the Pacific Division came Friday morning when the Ducks acquired John Carlson from the Washington Capitals. Anaheim is pushing to end a seven-year playoff drought, and the former Stanley Cup champion brings experience and puck-moving ability to a young team on the rise.

The Big Three in the Central Division all got better ahead of the deadline. After adding former Oiler Brett Kulak in February, the Colorado Avalanche added some more forward depth, picking up Nicolas Roy from the Maple Leafs. The Stars acquired shutdown defender Tyler Myers from Vancouver and winger Michael Bunting from the Predators, while Minnesota added depth with Bobby Brink, Nick Foligno, Vinnie Hinostroza, and Jeff Petry.

There’s still some time left to make moves, but it seems the Oilers are finished with their heavy lifting. Friday’s game against the Hurricanes offers the first opportunity to see if Edmonton’s reinforcements can help plug the holes that have been bogging the team down for most of the year.