The Edmonton Oilers are 13-3-3, but the conversation around their second defence pair is already turning into a bigger question: is this a real problem, or just what happens when a team is built around two of the league’s most dangerous forwards?
In a recent article for The Athletic, Allan Mitchell raised the issue of whether Edmonton needs to trade for help on the blue line, arguing that Connor Murphy and Ryan Shea have to be better if the goal is a Stanley Cup. As he put it, “Oilers general manager Stan Bowman may already be looking for an upgrade that would place Murphy on the third pair.”
That debate gets sharper because the Oilers are so heavily tilted toward the top end of their lineup. Evan Bouchard and Mattias Ekholm spend most of their time with Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl, which naturally leaves other defence combinations dealing with tougher circumstances. But that doesn’t completely explain why Murphy and Shea have struggled to chip in offensively.
The numbers paint a familiar picture: this pair defends, but it doesn’t score, and it isn’t exactly driving play either. Some observers have pointed to Murphy looking slower and having trouble moving the puck.
The Athletic also singled him out in another piece about players on each team who need to step up: “If we have to single someone out who’s playing regularly, though, it might have to be Connor Murphy. He has just a 35 percent xG rate and has been a complete black hole offensively.
That’s not his calling card, but the defensive game hasn’t been pretty either.”
Still, the forwards in front of them matter, and Edmonton’s forward group is described as a wide swing from elite to weak. Any unit with McDavid or Draisaitl is going to look dangerous. The weakest option this season, according to the article, is rookie Owen Michaels, who started well before fading in recent weeks.
That context matters when looking at Murphy and Shea’s five-on-five results. With McDavid, they’ve logged 27 minutes and have broken even in goals, while the expected numbers suggest they should have allowed only 1.36 goals per 60 minutes instead of the 2.23 they’ve actually given up. That points to some bad luck.
The same pattern shows up elsewhere. With Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, the pair has played 62 minutes and hasn’t scored, but it has allowed just 1.92 goals per 60, better than the 2.36 expected.
In 34 minutes with Jason Dickinson, they’ve again been scoreless while giving up 1.84 goals per 60. And with Michaels, they’ve allowed 2.16 goals per 60 in 83 minutes, still better than the 2.82 expected, though Edmonton has scored only 40 percent of the goals in those shifts because the line doesn’t create much.
So the picture is pretty simple: Shea and Murphy are keeping pucks out of their net. The problem is that almost nobody is helping them at the other end, and that’s not really their job.
The pair is built to defend, with Shea handling the passing and Murphy serving as the lower-offense option. The real question is whether that’s enough.
Jake Walman was supposed to help solve this, and he hasn’t yet. If the second pair never provides offense, Edmonton has to decide whether the answer is internal or external.
Murphy’s skating and puck movement are fair concerns, especially with the playoffs in mind, and his contract could become an issue as he gets older. The Oilers could wait for Walman to return and add offence from there, try to elevate Ty Emberson or Shakir Mukhamadullin, or go the trade route.
Mitchell’s view is that the timing of the question matters, especially now that Matt Savoie is back and Zach Hyman is fully up to speed. With more help around them, Edmonton should get a clearer read on whether Shea and Murphy can actually drive results or simply survive their minutes. If it turns out to be the latter, the fix may not be on the blue line at all.
In Other News...
Connor Murphy Is Becoming An Oilers Problem They Can't Ignore
Even with the Oilers piling up wins, Connor Murphys place on the blue line has become harder to gloss over. The veteran defenseman has drawn criticism for the numbers underneath the surface, and the concern is less about one bad night than a pattern that has made his minutes a talking point around the team. Edmontons overall record can hide a lot, but it does not erase the fact that Murphy has not driven play the way the club needs from a regular defenseman.
The bigger issue is that Murphy may not be the only problem, which is what makes this situation tricky for Edmonton. The second defensive pairing has been thin enough that his struggles are being viewed in the context of weak support around him, and the Oilers next move could depend on who returns to the lineup and how much depth they can trust. If the team wants to stabilize that side of the defense, it may have to make a decision that changes Murphys role, even if that answer is still unfolding. [Read more 🡒]
Oilers Trade Buzz Suddenly Centers On One Believable Star Target
The Oilers have not made any recent trades, but the conversation around their next move is starting to sharpen. If Edmonton decides to add, the focus would be on either a top-six forward or a top-four defenseman, which is exactly the kind of upgrade that can matter most when a contender is trying to squeeze a little more out of its roster.
Among the names being weighed, Quinn Hughes looks like a long shot and Elias Pettersson comes with obvious contract questions, leaving the discussion to drift toward a different established star. Roman Josi stands out as the cleanest fit for Edmontons needs and the most believable of the options, even if there is still plenty standing between speculation and an actual deal. [Read more 🡒]
Babcocks Return To Toronto Adds Extra Heat For The Oilers
Mike Babcocks return to Toronto gives this Oilers road trip a little extra edge, even beyond the standings and the usual late-season noise. Now behind Edmontons bench, the former Maple Leafs coach is back in the building where he spent a memorable stretch with one of hockeys biggest franchises, and he spent time reflecting on both the good and the difficult parts of that run while also taking stock of his current group, which sits atop the Pacific Division.
For the Oilers, the setting adds another layer to a meeting that already matters, with Toronto trying to steady itself under new coach Jim Hiller while the Leafs continue to search for traction in the Atlantic Division. Babcocks presence turns the matchup into more than just another cross-conference game, because the conversation around it is as much about history and unfinished business as it is about the points on the line. [Read more 🡒]