This is who Connor Murphy skated with in first Edmonton Oilers practice
Connor Murphy took to the ice as a member of the Edmonton Oilers for the first time on Wednesday morning.
The newest Edmonton Oilers defenceman arrived in the Alberta capital on Tuesday afternoon, taking in a dramatic 5-4 OT victory over the Ottawa Senators from the Rogers Place press box.
Murphy strapped on the skates with the Oilers for Wednesday’s practice, where he was spotted skating with Jake Walman. It wasn’t a full skate for Edmonton, as both Mattias Ekholm and Evan Bouchard were absent from the defensive group.
You may think this was a hint at where head coach Kris Knoblauch wants to start Murphy, but he cautioned against reading too much into the defensive pairs in practice.
“There was no pairing today,” Knoblauch said. “I think we’ll wait… We’re not set on anything right now, and we’ve just started some conversations. We haven’t committed to anything.”
Coach Knoblauch provides injury updates & key takeaways after #Oilers practice on Wednesday. @Enterprise | #LetsGoOilers pic.twitter.com/Lsd11R2Bds
— Edmonton Oilers (@EdmontonOilers) March 4, 2026
A Walman-Murphy second pair would make sense on a few levels. It would transition Walman back to his natural left side and give him a defensive-minded partner who could help cover for when he jumps up into the play. It would also allow the top pair of Ekholm-Bouchard to remain together.
Further, Darnell Nurse was playing next to Ty Emberson at practice, which makes a lot of sense with the former’s recent struggles of late. However, from Knoblauch’s tone, it does sound like there are a few more decisions to be made before the defensive group is set in stone.
It has been confirmed that Murphy will wear #5 with the Oilers.
Murph's first skate 😁 #LetsGoOilers pic.twitter.com/NcSM5ArVA9
— Edmonton Oilers (@EdmontonOilers) March 4, 2026
We also got a few injury updates from Knoblauch. Walman appears to be fine after not playing in the third period of Tuesday’s game, and revealed that his lack of ice time was due more to performance than health.
It was a message sent to the Oilers defender that was received loud and clear.
“Onus is on me, I have gotta play better and not put myself in that position,” Walman said. “I had something going on, but I can play… I put myself in that position; it’s my fault, I got to play better.
“I got a lot to add to this team, not fully there yet… I got more I can bring, and I know deep down I can do it.”
"I’ve got more I can bring & I know deep down I can do it."
Jake Walman speaks about his mindset & the addition of Connor Murphy to the #Oilers back end after practice at @RogersPlace. @Enterprise | #LetsGoOilers pic.twitter.com/kgJfPrctlo
— Edmonton Oilers (@EdmontonOilers) March 4, 2026
The news is worse for forward Curtis Lazar, who only played 2:25 against the Senators and left with an injury. Knoblauch confirmed that the 31-year-old will likely be sidelined for at least a month, and an AHL callup could be in the cards soon.
Murphy will make his Oilers debut on Friday against the Carolina Hurricanes.