EDMONTON, Alberta (AP) — The Edmonton Oilers re-signed defenseman Connor Murphy to a five-year contract worth $20.5 million on Monday.
The team announced the deal roughly 24 hours after extending center Jason Dickinson for the next five seasons at $20 million. Murphy and Dickinson joined Edmonton in separate deals from Chicago as pending unrestricted free agents ahead of the trade deadline in early March.
Murphy, like Dickinson, improved the Oilers’ ability to keep the puck out of their own net. Their goals-against average was 3.34 in the 62 games before acquiring them and dropped to 2.90 in the final 20 games of the regular season with them.
That number shot up to 4.33 in a first-round loss to Anaheim, though that also included goaltenders Tristan Jarry and Connor Ingram combining for a playoff-worst .866 save percentage.
General manager Stan Bowman could address the goaltending situation via trade or free agency, and he and the front office need to hire a coach after firing Kris Knoblauch, who led consecutive trips to the Stanley Cup in 2024 and '25.
Re-signing Murphy, 33, is part of the organization's commitment to being better defensively in an effort to finally get Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl their first championship after more than a decade in the NHL together. Murphy has skated in 840 games in the league with the Coyotes, Blackhawks and Oilers.
AP NHL: https://apnews.com/NHL
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