The Edmonton Oilers are working on locking up multiple free agents before free agency opens on July 1. The Oilers only recently locked up Jason Dickinson to a five-year contract.
Now, the Oilers are working on a contract for an additional unrestricted free agent, in response to David Pagnotta of The Fourth Period.
“On the players side, with Jason Dickinson locked as much as his recent five-year, $20 million contract, talks are ongoing between the Oilers and pending UFA defenceman Connor Murphy. I’m told that a deal isn’t yet considered imminent. ‘We’re still talking,’ said a team source Sunday morning,” Pagnotta wrote.
Murphy was the twentieth overall selection within the 2011 NHL Draft by the Phoenix Coyotes. He played his first 4 NHL seasons with the Coyotes before being traded to the Chicago Blackhawks. The blueliner would stick with the Blackhawks until he was traded to the Edmonton Oilers in March for a second-round draft pick within the 2028 NHL Draft.
He would play in 20 games with the Oilers, finding the back of the online once and adding three assists. He also played in all six games of the playoffs for the Oilers, lighting the lamp twice and adding a helper.
Murphy’s coming off a four-year deal that he signed with the Blackhawks in 2021 and took effect for the 2022-23 season. The 33-year-old is predicted to recover from $3 million in AAV on his next deal. The Oilers currently have $13.4 million in cap space, but additionally have multiple free agents to resign this offseason, including two restricted free agents.
The Edmonton Oilers are working on locking up multiple free agents before free agency opens on July 1. The Oilers only recently locked up Jason Dickinson to a five-year contract. Now, the Oilers are working on a contract for an additional unrestricted free agent, in response to David Pagnotta of The Fourth Period.