Murphy traded to Oilers by Blackhawks for 2nd-round pick in 2028 Draft

Connor Murphy was traded to the Edmonton Oilers by the Chicago Blackhawks on Monday for a second-round pick in the 2028 NHL Draft.

The 32-year-old defenseman has 13 points (four goals, nine assists) in 60 games this season. He also led the Blackhawks in blocks (87) and was second in short-handed ice time per game (2:57).

"It was a whirlwind of emotions, a lot of excitement," Murphy said when asked about the trade on Tuesday. "Edmonton has been a top team that I’ve had my sights set on, and I knew something might happen, and to be here is definitely surreal and definitely a lot of excitement to get started."

Murphy is in the final season of a four-year, $17.6 million contract ($4.4 million average annual value) he signed with the Blackhawks on Aug. 31, 2021, and can become an unrestricted free agent after the season. Chicago will retain 50 percent of his remaining contract.

Selected by the Phoenix Coyotes in the first round (No. 20) of the 2011 NHL Draft, Murphy has 173 points (47 goals, 126 assists) in 805 regular-season games for the Coyotes and Blackhawks, and four assists in nine Stanley Cup Playoff games.

"For me, winning is a top priority, and I haven’t had a lot of opportunity with maybe being on losing teams in the past," Murphy said. "I came in in Arizona, and then moving on to Chicago and getting more ice time that way. I feel comfortable with my role now and I just want to play meaningful games and winning hockey. With that comes pressure, and I think that is a privilege to have on your shoulders, and to be able to come together with the group and feel that, feel the emotions of the highs and lows, that’s kind of what it’s all about and something that I’ve really had my sights set on, and that’s honestly why Edmonton has been a top priority and I was hoping to come here."

The Oilers (29-24-8), who are 1-2-0 since returning from the Olympic break and 1-5-0 in their past six overall, are fourth in the Pacific Division with 66 points and currently hold the second wild card into the Stanley Cup Playoffs from the Western Conference. 

Edmonton, which has lost to the Florida Panthers in the Stanley Cup Final in each of the past two seasons, next plays the Ottawa Senators at Rogers Place in Edmonton on Tuesday (9 p.m. ET; RDS2, SNW, TSN5). Murphy joined the Oilers on Tuesday but will not play. 

"Not fun to play against, which is a good sign,” Oilers captain Connor McDavid said of Murphy. “Just a solid player, and I think he can really help for sure." 

"You can't have too many of those guys. Those guys are extremely valuable. I'm excited about it." 

A few hours before the deal for Murphy was announced, Edmonton general manager Stan Bowman said he was looking for a right-shot defenseman ahead of the NHL Trade Deadline, which is Friday at 3 p.m. ET.

"We have more lefts than rights, so in a simplistic way, yes," Bowman said. "But also, you don't want to overdo that too much, because sometimes a better player that is a left shot can play the right side. Ideally, you'd like to have three lefts and three rights in your pairs. It doesn't always work out that way. Over half the teams don't have that."

Bowman also said the Oilers are in win-now mode.

"We're always looking to add," Bowman said. "I don't know if there is added pressure, but I would say we want to win. That hasn't changed. If we can bring in new players to help us, that's great.

"I think my point earlier is that there's a lot of ways to improve as a team. Part of it is new players and part of it is our existing players to dial it in a little bit better. Certainly, we're not looking at the team in a couple of years. We're looking to try to win right now, and that's the way it was when the season began. It hasn't changed at all and we're going to keep pushing."

Also on Monday, the Oilers announced that forward Mattias Janmark (undisclosed) was placed on long-term injured reserve. Forwards Josh Samanski and Isaac Howard were recalled from Bakersfield of the American Hockey League, and forward Andrew Mangiapane and defenseman Alec Regula were sent to the AHL after clearing waivers.

The Blackhawks (23-28-9), who have lost eight of 10 (2-6-2), next visit the Winnipeg Jets on Tuesday (8 p.m. ET; TSN3, CHSN).

NHL.com staff writer Derek Van Diest contributed to this report