The Edmonton Oilers' newest acquisition, Connor Murphy, is embracing a fresh start — even if the trade came as a bit of a surprise.

Murphy spoke with Edmonton media on Tuesday and walked everyone through how the trade happened, why Edmonton was on his list of top places to go, and where he believes he'll fit in the lineup. 

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He started by saying he was enjoying an off day in Winnipeg with teammates, taking part in a team spa outing, when he first learned something might be brewing. His agent reached out to inform him that discussions were underway, though nothing was certain. Within an hour, the deal was finalized.

“It was a lot of emotions and a lot of excitement,” Murphy said, describing the whirlwind moment he learned he was headed to Edmonton.

The veteran defenseman comes over after several seasons with the Chicago Blackhawks, where he carved out a reliable role focused heavily on penalty killing and defensive-zone assignments. Murphy admitted that while the heavy defensive workload wasn’t always intentional -- it's not like any defenseman wants to play all game in their own zone -- it became a strength. He settled into the role and grew comfortable relying on his instincts as a shutdown presence.

Murphy spoke highly of some of the pieces the Oilers already have on the back end, and he believes he can find a role to accentuate the group here. That's his top goal as he joins the lineup on Friday,  with the focus now shifting from playing more minutes to winning.

“At this point in my career, winning is the top priority,” Murphy explained. After coming up with the Arizona Coyotes and spending recent years in Chicago during rebuilding phases, he’s eager to play meaningful games. He views the pressure in Edmonton not as a burden, but as a privilege.

Murphy is already comfortable with the Oilers’ facilities and atmosphere, having played in the building many times as a visitor and been here often during the COVID bubble. Now, he’s looking forward to embracing the community — and even joked that his young son, who recently learned to say “hockey,” will need some room to run around in their new city.

When asked if this could be more than a rental situation, he responded, "It been not even 24 hours, my mind's been on just trying to get in here and play. If that happens, then that would be amazing, it's moreso this year in general and coming into this situation, I just want to focus on my game, and providing what I can and playing my best. That stuff's just kind of outside business that happens how it happens. But moreso, just trying to fit in, offer what I can, and be an impactful player in my own way and fit in with these guys."

The hope is that he's not replacing Jake Walman, who didn’t play in the third period of Tuesday's game. Walman is not expected to be too serious, but that's been said before when Walman goes out. 

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