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DeutschEDMONTON — There was once an old defenceman named Rob Scuderi, whose nickname was actually a bit of a joke.
Scuderi — a low-scoring, defensive-minded defenceman on that 2009 Pittsburgh Penguins team that delivered Sidney Crosby’s first Stanley Cup — made a huge shot-block one night during a playoff game in Carolina. True to character, in the post-game interview, he simply told a reporter that he was “just a piece of the puzzle” on a Penguins team that would sweep the Hurricanes in that Eastern Conference Final.
But the headline atop the picture in the next day’s paper said different.
“The Piece,” it announced in big block letters. And forevermore, that would be Scuderi’s nickname.
“The Piece.”
Here in Edmonton, big Connor Murphy arrives in not a vastly different role than the one Scuderi took on in Pittsburgh.
Murphy is a defence-first guy who has spent 805 NHL games honing his craft. Now, he’s finally found a team that can use the player he has become, down the stretch and into the playoffs.
Murphy is a piece who has finally found a puzzle.
But can he be “The Piece” for Edmonton in games that actually matter?
Well, it’s high time we all found out.
“At this point in my career, winning is the top priority,” said Murphy, who has toiled through rebuilds in Arizona and Chicago over 13 NHL seasons. “I feel comfortable in my role now, and really just want to play meaningful games and winning hockey. With that comes pressure, which is a privilege to have on your shoulders.
“To come together with a group, feel the emotions, the highs and lows, is what it’s all about. That’s why Edmonton has always been a top priority (and a place) I was hoping to come to.”
It’s a long career when you walk into the NHL as a 20-year-old, and at age 32, you’ve only played nine playoff games. Those were in the bubble, against Edmonton, of course.
He was needed for leadership and setting the right example as the longest-serving Chicago Blackhawk. In Edmonton, however, they only require his on-ice game: a steadying role behind his own blue line and a key piece of the penalty kill.
“That’s kind of all I’ve done. My career has been a lot of penalty killing and defensive zone time,” said Murphy, who is six-foot-four and 212 pounds. “Where I’m comfortable, honestly, is more with my defending, using my instincts that way. I’ve settled into that role for a few years now and been really comfortable doing it.
“Definitely something I take pride in.”
So, what is Murphy as an NHL defenceman? We asked around.
He’s a polished pro. Committed, prepared and an excellent teammate loved by all. He is not as skilled as he is smart, not as blessed with puck-handling skills as he is with compete and will.
He’ll really help Edmonton’s penalty kill, and a guy who will eat up the final shifts of a period a game, provided you’re ahead and not in need of a late goal. He doesn’t move as well as he once did, but is a smart, positional player who blocks shots better and more often than anyone the Oilers currently have.
In short, he is well known as “a pro’s pro,” a descriptor used by more than one source we spoke to.
In a Wednesday practice that was skipped by top pairing D-men Even Bouchard and Mattias Ekholm — maintenance days, media was told — Murphy worked with Jake Walman while Darnell Nurse was paired with righty Ty Emberson.
Walman’s game could surely use a steadying force like the right-shot Murphy. Walman revealed on Wednesday that he was benched through the entire third period of Tuesday’s 5-4 win over Ottawa, despite head coach Kris Knoblauch raising the possibility in his post-game interview that Walman’s absence had been due to an injury.
“I think it was more about other options,” admitted Walman. “I had a small tweak, but I could play. I need to play better. I have more to bring, and I’m confident I can.”
OIL SPILLS
Andrew Mangiapane is back in Edmonton, but with no games between now and Friday’s trade deadline, it’s a good bet he’s played his last game as an Oiler … Curtis Lazar was seen with his arm in a sling after the Senators game. He’s expected to miss a month, leaving Edmonton without a right shot centreman in their fold. That will make the pursuit of a centre like Toronto’s Nicolas Roy even more acute. “I saw the rumour like everybody else,” Roy told Sportsnet’s Luke Fox at the Leafs morning skate in New Jersey on Wednesday. “But I’m playing for the Leafs now, and I want to be here.”
