The Edmonton Oilers host the Chicago Blackhawks on April 2 at Rogers Place, and it’ll be the first time Connor Murphy and Jason Dickinson suit up against their former team since being traded just before the trade deadline, along with Colton Dach.

Dach has only played in three games for the Oilers before being sidelined with an injury, but both Murphy and Dickinson have appeared in 13 games since being traded from Chicago. They’ve come to Edmonton as described — not a ton of offence, but strong attention to the defensive side of the game and a high battle level. Below, we take a look at the impact Murphy and Dickinson have had since joining the Oilers.

When Murphy was first acquired from Chicago, I looked up Blackhawks fans’ reactions online to his move to Edmonton. When they expressed sadness at seeing the blueliner go, I empathized with them, because after all, it’s tough seeing a player you liked leave, but I also felt it was a sign that the Oilers were about to get a good one.

Having said that, the Oilers have been in search of a right-handed shot to solidify their top-four D-corps, and Murphy has certainly been all of that and more.

Since his arrival in Oil Country, he’s averaged 20:24 minutes per game, recorded a goal and an assist, leads the team with 35 blocks, and also tops the team in penalty-kill ice time at 28:16. Overall, the Oilers have also seen an improvement on the PK, climbing from 76.7% to 82.4% since the arrival of both Murphy and Dickinson, who’ve been a staple on the unit.

For a 6-foot-4, 212-pounder, Murphy is fairly mobile and excels at shutting down the rush with his long reach, often stopping dangerous plays before they develop with a quick poke check. Also, his mindset in the Oilers’ zone seems simple and refreshing — don’t let the puck get near the Oilers’ net, whether by using his body to block a shot or swatting it away.

On top of that, I like watching Murphy disrupt the opposition’s cycle in the Oilers’ zone. His anticipation to get to pucks is quick, he’s rangy, and he smothers the opposition into the boards, often erasing them from plays. Moreover, wearing #5, being a right-shot, and having that big frame, Murphy reminds me of how former Oiler Mark Fayne used to look. But appearance-wise is where the comparison ends, because unlike Fayne’s “off the glass and out” method, Murphy makes a pretty good pass in transition when he gains possession.

Another quality that stands out about Murphy, who has only played in nine playoff games, is that he plays a ‘big game’ style of hockey and isn’t afraid to get his hands dirty. An example came on March 21, when Evan Bouchard took a nasty hit from the Tampa Bay Lightning’s Pontus Holmberg — Murphy dropped the gloves with Holmberg moments later in response. He also squared off with Vegas’ Cole Smith five days later, and that gamesmanship he brings is perfectly suited for playoff hockey.

That said, we can’t talk about Murphy without also discussing the influence he’s had in elevating Darnell Nurse’s game. Nurse has played some of his best hockey of the season — defending better and cutting down on Grade-A mistakes — while playing alongside the Dublin, OH, native.

Also, a trait Nurse seems to have learned from Murphy is that big hits don’t require taking yourself out of position — they can be delivered subtly in the corners during a routine play.

Over the Oilers’ four-game win streak, that pairing has played the 16th most minutes in the NHL at 83:35, and according to Natural Stat Trick, posted a 2-2 goal share, and holds a 10-8 advantage in high-danger chances at five-on-five.

Additionally, the biggest highlight for them as a duo was the penalty kill in overtime against the Vegas Golden Knights on March 26. We were in attendance at T Mobile arena for the Nation Vacation and had the perfect view of them in action, and the way Murphy and Nurse, along with Ryan Nugent-Hopkin, moved together in sync, to block lanes and minimize the Golden Knights’ chances, was absolute poetry in motion. It was a textbook example of how to defend a 4-on-3 in overtime, and a pivotal part of the Oilers’ 4–3 OT win.

Overall, Murphy has been an excellent addition to the Oilers, and the only drawback I see is that I wish the team had acquired him sooner. That said, some players naturally elevate their game in the playoffs, and Murphy seems like one of them. With the ‘big game’ style of play we’ve already seen from him, I’d imagine he’s chomping at the bit to experience the playoff atmosphere at Rogers Place.

Despite scoring 22 goals just two seasons ago, Dickinson hasn’t carried much offence over from his days with the Blackhawks. Still, he has hands to make plays, such as last game against the Seattle Kraken, when he feathered a nice pass from behind the net to Matt Savoie in the slot for a Grade-A scoring chance.

However, he also brings a heavy defensive game and the mindset to shut down opponents, which provides a good yin to the yang of the other Oilers’ forwards, who at times have focused a little too much on offence.

The Georgetown, ON, native has tallied a goal and an assist in 13 games since arriving in Edmonton and has averaged 15:23 minutes a night while primarily playing at the 3C spot. At 6-foot-2 and 200 pounds, he uses his big frame well to play a heavy game and battle in the corners, and since being acquired from the Blackhawks, he ranks second among Oilers forwards with 31 hits.

Also, the centreman is second on the team in penalties drawn in that span with five, and fourth on the team in takeaways with four. He also leads all Oilers forwards in penalty-kill ice time, playing 25:33 since March 6, and has been a big help in improving the PK unit. Overall, he has taken the most faceoffs, going 76–80 — very close to 50% on the dot.

Another aspect of him I really like, just like Murphy, is how his game seems tailor-made for ‘big game’ hockey — something we saw the centreman dial into against the Oilers’ divisional rivals, the Golden Knights, on March 26.

Before that game, he mentioned, “I haven’t quite built up that hatred for Vegas. I haven’t had quite as many run-ins, maybe as Edmonton and the Edmonton fans.” He added, “I think that’ll change after tonight.”

With foreshadowing at its finest, he quickly introduced himself into the Oilers–Golden Knights rivalry with a couple of early run-ins that night.

Dickinson took a high elbow from Jeremy Lauzon late in the first period, and as time wound down and the buzzer sounded to end the period, the Oilers’ centreman glided into Shea Theodore and laid a heavy crunch on him, dropping the Vegas defender to the ice.

A melee ensued, with all five Oilers skaters picking a partner out of the pile, including Darnell Nurse taking Brett Howden down onto the net. Surprisingly, no official fight broke out from the scrum, but that little “pest-like” late hit by Dickinson is the kind of gamesmanship Corey Perry brought when he was with the Oilers.

That gamesmanship element is something you can never have too much of, and while the Oilers knew they were getting a shutdown centreman when they brought him in, the spicy edge Dickinson brings has been a welcome bonus and will be very useful if he continues to tap into it in the postseason.

That said, Tony Brar posted that Trent Frederic has recently been skating with Dickinson, and if he brings back his physical brand of hockey he was playing before being sidelined, you add in Dickinson’s heavy style, and cap it off with Kasperi Kapanen’s speed, that line has all the ingredients to cause fits for the opposition in the playoffs.

Overall, would I like more offence from Dickinson? Of course. But I also appreciate what he brings, playing a shutdown role in a very “in your face” style down the middle. Plus, having previously scored 22 goals, he seems like the type of player who could be a dark horse to score some very clutch postseason goals, in a ‘Fernando Pisani’-like manner.

Edmonton hockey fans — think you and your crew know playoff hockey? Prove it at the Nation Playoff Draft Party on Friday, April 17th at the River Cree Resort & Casino. Build your playoff roster, compete against other teams throughout the postseason, and battle for $2,500 cash and Nation bragging rights. Team entry is $1,000 for groups of 8, which includes dinner and your first bevy. The night will be hosted by Ryder & Lisa from The Sauce and Tyler & Liam from ON Everyday, so expect plenty of energy, competition, and chirps. Spots are limited — sign your team up now at nationgear.ca. All proceeds from the event support KidSport Edmonton, helping ensure local kids can stay in the game.