After locking in center Jason Dickinson with a contract extension on Sunday, Edmonton Oilers GM Stan Bowman has retained another one of his 2026 trade deadline acquisitions, as the team has signed defenseman Connor Murphy to five-year contract extension with a salary cap hit of $4.1 million.
MURPH 👊
— Edmonton Oilers (@EdmontonOilers) June 22, 2026
The #Oilers have signed defenceman Connor Murphy to a five-year contract with an AAV of $4.1 million. pic.twitter.com/7avMhxiYDt
Dickinson’s new deal is worth a total of $20 million ($4.0M AAV), while Murphy anchors the blue line with a $20.5 million contract ($4.1M AAV). Both players were set to become unrestricted free agents this summer, making these extensions a massive proactive win for the Oilers' front office.
The 30-year-old center brought much-needed defensive responsibility, penalty-killing expertise, and secondary scoring to Edmonton's bottom-six forward group.
Dickinson's physical presence and reliability in the faceoff circle give head coach Kris Knoblauch a trusted defensive weapon to deploy against opposing top lines, freeing up Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl for more offensive-heavy deployment. At a $4.0 million cap hit, the Oilers secure a premier third-line center through his prime years.
On the back end, Connor Murphy proved to be the stabilizing, right-shot defenseman the Oilers had been searching for. Standing 6-foot-4, Murphy brought a fearless, shot-blocking mentality and a heavy net-front presence to Edmonton's top-four defensive pairings.