We are exactly one month away from the trade deadline, and the rumors are picking up, which now link the Oilers to a star defenseman of the Blackhawks. <a href='https://www.hockeylatest.com/nhl-team/edmonton-oilers/nhl-insider-has-just-linked-a-towering-canadiens-defenseman-to-the-oilers-in-possible-trade' class='lien_marqueur' target='_blank' rel='noopener'>The Edmonton Oilers trade deadline priority</a> hasn't changed: a reliable right-shot defenseman to play with Darnell Nurse. Their recent additions have done a good job filling in, but a true upgrade is needed if the Oilers want to make another deep playoff run. That would make Edmonton likely to give Klingberg more time first while tracking the development in the trade market. <h3>The Oilers are linked to Connor Murphy of the Blackhawks</h3> The market for right-shot defensemen is thin, but Connor Murphy has emerged as a target and was listed on <a href='https://x.com/frank_seravalli' class='lien_marqueur' target='_blank' rel='noopener'>Frank Seravalli</a>'s trade board. He's steady, not flashy. The one thing I really like about Murphy is that he plays a physical game and is not afraid to get in the mix. Some of that, the Oilers could definitely use,» Seravalli added on Oilersnation Everyday. <div align='center' class='pl20 pr20'><blockquote class='twitter-tweet' data-lang='en'><a href='https://twitter.com/OilersNation/status/1887867798703284710'> </a></blockquote></div> The 31-year-old Blackhawks veteran, who has played over 700 in the NHL, has a connection to Oilers GM Stan Bowman, who was in Chicago when the Blackhawks drafted <a href='https://www.nhl.com/blackhawks/player/connor-murphy-8476473' class='lien_marqueur' target='_blank' rel='noopener'>Murphy</a>. Murphy's logging over 20 minutes per game, and his penalty kill is 10th in the league. <a href='https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/chicago-blackhawks/latest-news/insider-suggest-teams-interested-in-3-particular-blackhawks' class='lien_marqueur' target='_blank' rel='noopener'>This could be a perfect opportunity for Bowman</a> to reunite with his former player. If the Edmonton Oilers are moving a first-round pick or a couple of second-round picks for Murphy, they might look for additional depth in return, the way the Adam Henrique deal last year netted them Sam Carrick, too. «The big reason they need to go out and get a depth piece is the erosion of speed in their lineup. They're missing [Ryan] McLeod, not from a production standpoint, but a skating one,» Seravalli continued. «They still haven't had someone step up and grab hold of that fourth-line centre role, which is why the Oilers were in the mix for Drew O'Connor from the Pittsburgh Penguins.» The Oilers need a bottom-six forward. The Blackhawks aren't flush with perfect pending UFAs to fill that role, but Ryan Donato and his 16 goals this season could help the Oilers' depth scoring. <div align='center' class='pl20 pr20'><blockquote class='twitter-tweet' data-lang='en'><a href='https://twitter.com/HockeyDaily365/status/1887366505286783089'> </a></blockquote></div> Murphy meanwhile remains a full-blooded alternative if they were to pull the trigger, and we have seen many times in the past, GMs acquire some of their former players in deals. Perhaps this happens once again for Bowman and the Oilers.