Connor Murphy played in his first pre-season game against the Winnipeg Jets last night, leading the Edmonton Oilers in ice time with 23:09, while throwing two hits, blocking five shots, and preventing the Jets from getting on the scoresheet while he was on the ice.

The rugged blueliner was acquired from the Chicago Blackhawks before the trade deadline last season in exchange for a second-round draft pick, and over his 20 regular-season and six playoff games, he wasn’t flashy, but did what he was brought in to do, and that’s provide the Oilers with steady and reliable defence.

The Oilers obviously liked what they saw from the 33-year-old, re-signing him to a five-year deal worth $4 million average annual value (AAV) last June, and he’s expected to be a pillar on the Oilers’ blue line this season.

With that in mind, you’re not going to see too many dangles and toe-drags from Murphy, but what I do think we’ll see is the 33-year-old set career highs in multiple categories this regular season. Let’s take a look.

Prediction: Murphy will set a career-high in blocked shots

Last season, in 60 games with the Blackhawks and 20 games with the Oilers, Murphy blocked a combined 138 shots, and his career-high in shot blocks in a season came during the 2024-25 campaign, when he blocked 160 shots.

The Oilers’ regular-season shot-blocking leader in 2025-26 was Darnell Nurse, and with the veteran D-man now with the San Jose Sharks, the door is open for someone else to step up as the team’s shot-blocking guru. That said, Murphy seems like a very good candidate for the role, and as mentioned, he already started the season on a good note, blocking five shots in his first pre-season game against the Jets.

Daily Faceoff........

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