The Ottawa Senators are entering the summer with several roster needs to address. When looking at their current roster, it is clear that the Senators should be looking to bring in at least one right-shot defenseman.
The right side of the Senators' blueline is simply not strong enough, and they must look to change that during the summer. There are some interesting pending unrestricted free agents (UFAs) who could be good fits for the Senators if they are available on July 1. One of them is Edmonton Oilers defenseman Connor Murphy.
Is Murphy a fit with the Senators?
If the Senators signed Murphy, he would give them another clear option to work with on both their second pairing and penalty kill. This is because Murphy is a big and steady defensive defenseman who is very dependable in his own end. When noting that the Senators need to improve their defensive group, Murphy stands out as exactly the kind of blueliner that they should be pursuing this summer.
Yet, with Murphy being 33 years old, it would probably be best for the Senators to bring him in on a short-term deal if they are interested. While this is the case, he would still have the potential to be a very good pickup for a Senators club that is looking to be legitimate contenders in 2026-27.
Murphy appeared in 80 games this season split between the Chicago Blackhawks and Edmonton Oilers, where he recorded five goals, 12 assists, 17 points, 71 penalty minutes, 90 hits, and 138 blocks. With numbers like these, the 6-foot-4 defenseman would be a solid shutdown defenseman for the Senators to bring in.
Nevertheless, it will be interesting to see if the Senators end up making a push for Murphy this summer. Given how well he fit into the Oilers' system this season, there is a chance that he could stay put in Edmonton. However, if he ends up testing free agency, he would make a lot of sense for the Senators to target.
In 825 career NHL games over 13 seasons, Murphy has recorded 48 goals, 129 assists, 177 points, 1,612 blocks, and 1,662 hits.
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