Trade SZN hits a fever pitch this week.
The 2026 NHL Trade Deadline is just days away, with 3 p.m. EST on Friday being the final time teams can make deals during the 2025-26 season. And while we’ve seen major moves already for Quinn Hughes and Artemi Panarin, this week will undoubtedly be filled with action.
The B/R NHL staff will be in position throughout the week to break down the biggest trades from now until the end of the week. Bookmark this page and submit your thoughts on the week’s action in the comments section of the app.
Oilers Acquire Connor Murphy From Chicago for a 2nd-Round Pick
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The Trade:
Edmonton Oilers
A typical team that is fighting just to hold on to the last playoff spot has no business trading a second-round pick for a depth rental, but this is not a typical team. There’s no such thing as a non-contending year with Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl in their primes.
With Connor Murphy, what you see is what you get. He’s a second-pairing shutdown defenseman. The right-handed defenseman had the lowest expected goals against average (2.47) of all Chicago defensemen at 5v5 this season, despite not exactly getting sheltered minutes.
The Oilers, as is tradition, have bled goals this season; they rank 26th of 32 teams by goals against per 60, per Evolving Hockey. A lot of that has to do with team goaltending, but the defense is leaky as well. In particular, the second pairing of Darnell Nurse and Jake Walman has been downright putrid.
If head coach Kris Knoblauch has his head on straight, and he usually does, he’ll move Walman, an offense-style defenseman, to his natural left side and stick Murphy next to him as his complement. That switch, plus a demotion for Nurse, who has really struggled, would go a long way.
Is this enough to transform the Oilers from their usual position as a mediocre team dragged into the mix by their superstars? Probably not. That’s not ideal, but it may not matter. If Murphy and the subsequent depth chart adjustments can make the defense palatable, then it will at least give McDavid et al a chance to win a few playoff series. A rental isn’t the best target for a team already low on assets, but a second-round pick is fair exchange value for a player of Murphy’s caliber.
Grade: B
Chicago Blackhawks
The Blackhawks are less dreadful to watch than in past seasons, but they are still not ready to compete for a playoff spot. Ten points behind the playoff line this late into the season? That means selling at least expiring assets. Murphy, a 32-year-old whose contract expires in July, is a mandatory export.
The second-round pick is not until 2028, and maybe the Blackhawks could have shopped a few more days to find something sooner, but the market has way more sellers than buyers. GM Kyle Davidson has a number of pending free agents to shop around, so clearing out some of the inventory now will make the job easier in the next few days.
Grade: A-
– Adam Herman
