The Edmonton Oilers made a pair of trades with the Chicago Blackhawks this week ahead of Friday’s NHL trade deadline. They acquired defenceman Connor Murphy at 50 percent retained for a 2028 second-round pick, and they acquired forwards Jason Dickinson (50 percent retained) and Colton Dach for Andrew Mangiapane and a conditional 2027 first-round pick (top-12 protected).
The first deal was a tidy piece of business from general manager Stan Bowman, while the second move was an overpay. Mangiapane needed to be traded, and that unfortunately cost the team a first-round pick in this deal. Despite some poor asset management, the Oilers are better today than they were last week.
Related: Connor Murphy: Everything to Know About Oilers’ Newest Acquisition
Murphy has four goals and 13 points in 60 games, averaging 16:34 of ice time, while Dickinson has six goals and 13 points in 47 games, averaging 15:42 of ice time. Neither player will light up the score sheet, but they don’t need to. They play a defence-first game and are tough to play against, and that’s what the team needed. Edmonton is too soft in front of its own net, and Murphy does a great job of boxing out and clearing the blue paint.
Both players also wore letters in Chicago and will bring some leadership to the locker room. The Oilers already have elite offence, but they need to keep the puck out of their net, and these moves will help.
Murphy & Dickinson Are Exceptional Penalty Killers
Both players are also elite penalty killers. They were instrumental on the Blackhawks’ penalty kill, which ranks first in the NHL at 85.9 percent. Murphy has played 177:16 on the penalty kill, which was second on Chicago. To put that into perspective, Evan Bouchard led the Oilers’ blue line in penalty kill minutes at just 110:37. Bouchard has played a ton, so hopefully, Murphy can take some of those penalty kill minutes so he can focus on his even-strength play and quarterbacking their lethal power play.
Dickinson was fourth among Blackhawk forwards in penalty kill ice time with 103:00. He also has a shorthanded goal. He now ranks second among Oilers forwards in penalty kill ice time, only seven seconds behind Matt Savoie. Dickinson should replace Connor McDavid on the kill. The Oilers’ captain has played 70:46 shorthanded, and that’s too much. He already plays a lot at even strength and on the power play, so the best way to limit his ice time down the stretch is by taking him off the penalty kill.
The team should now run with Dickinson, Savoie, Adam Henrique, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, and Vasily Podkolzin up front on the penalty kill. Edmonton’s penalty kill has struggled throughout the season, sitting at 76.7 percent and ranked 26th in the league. They must drastically improve in that area before the playoffs, and these latest acquisitions should help.
Dickinson Can Take On Harder Matchups
Dickinson is an elite defensive forward who can match up against the opposition’s top lines and alleviate some of the pressure off McDavid. The top line has struggled defensively recently, so it’s time to shelter their matchups, especially at home, so they can spend more time in the offensive zone and leave the more challenging situations to Dickinson’s line.
Head coach Kris Knoblauch can now create a shutdown third line. A trio of Dickinson, Podkolzin, and Trent Frederic would be physical and tough to play against. Frederic has been searching for an identity all season, and maybe this can be it. He and Podkolzin will provide physicality, while Podkolzin also provides work ethic and tenacity. Pair that with Dickinson’s defensive awareness and IQ, and that could be a promising line to help the team down the stretch.
At the end of the day, these trades weren’t flashy, but Bowman made the necessary moves to improve the team. On paper, these two are perfect fits. Hopefully, their play reflects that.
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