Edmonton got ventilated for goals in the Round 1 loss to Anaheim. Their top guys, their bottom guys, their penalty kill, their goalies…
Everybody needs to take a look at what brand of hockey wins, and what kind of hockey the Edmonton Oilers played in the 2025-26 season.
“Murph and I bring a consistency to that defensive game that is reliable,” Dickinson explained in a Zoom call after the two vets signed nearly identical five-year deals. “It’s not flashy. It’s not sexy. But it’s effective, and so it’s a piece that fits well with what they’ve already got (in Edmonton).
“You bring in guys that can handle the defensive responsibilities,” he explained, “and it takes a little bit of that stress out of constantly getting scored on that forces (the stars) to constantly have to keep scoring.”
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There’s no denying it: 150-point Connor McDavid seasons, 50-goal, 100-point Leon Draisaitl campaigns, the third highest points total this century (95 points) by a defenceman (Evan Bouchard) — none of that has put a ring on anyone’s hand here in Edmonton.
Last season was a bit of a write-off, ending with an injury-riddled roster that couldn’t compete with Anaheim. But the way it ended left a mark.
“I don’t think there’s a lot to continue to speculate on the playoff series,” Murphy said of a series that saw Anaheim’s power play operate at 50 per cent and score eight power play goals in six games. “We got outplayed, (gave) up a lot of goals, and a lot of them were breakdowns from giving up a lot of Grade A chances. Then our penalty kill was not performing very well, and giving up goals that way too.
“I don’t think that’s something that’s hard to figure out that needs to be a priority of ours,” he said. “Realizing what hasn’t worked in the past, and what’s going to work going forward.”
Both signed five-year deals. Murphy, 33, will make $4.1 million annually, while Dickinson, who turns 31 in July, gets $4 million per. Each one has a No Movement Clause for three years, then submits a 16-team No Trade List in Year 4 of their contract.
Both play roles that have historically been carried by players well into their 30s, each of them acquired from Chicago around the trade deadline in March. Finally, both are conscience guys, the kind of players who do the things that every player is supposed to do, but some just don’t want to.
As a third-line centre behind Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl, there is no confusion as to where Dickinson fits on Edmonton’s roster.
“You bring in defensive-minded players that can manage those hard objectives to allow (McDavid and Draisaitl) to play a little bit freer against maybe a second or third line,” he said. “Instead of going up against top players all the time, they get a little bit of time to play easier matchups. And I get the job to make sure that they don’t score on us.”
Murphy is a solid, defensive-minded, second pairing guy. High in character, low in maintenance. Physical, and not in need of pampering where matchups or power play opportunity is concerned.
He’s ground out an 825-NHL game career on penalty killing, shot blocking and reliability.
It’s hard to see a reason why he or Dickinson would fear being coached by Mike Babcock, whose hire is expected to be announced by the Oilers at a Tuesday press conference. It clearly did not deter either from signing well before free agency opens on July 1.
“I feel like whatever coach comes in and whatever they try to implement, accountability-wise or structure-wise or discipline, guys will handle it,” Murphy said. “I think guys really want to be coached. So anything that’s thrown this team’s way, they’re going to really grasp it.
“Try to get the best out of each other with whatever he’s given.”