Jason Dickinson is back. The Edmonton Oilers activated the veteran center from injured reserve Wednesday afternoon and placed Colton Dach on IR.
The move lands hours before puck drop in Anaheim, where Mike Babcock's club opens a three-stop California road trip tonight.
No timeline came with either transaction. One forward in, one forward out, and the Oilers kept moving.
Dach won't be missed on the scoresheet, at least not yet. The 23-year-old went pointless through three games with a -4 rating.
That's a rough start for a young forward carrying a $1,200,000 cap hit and trying to lock down a full-time job.
Dickinson brings something the lower half of this lineup has lacked early. Experience. He has logged 566 games over his NHL career.
He also brings questions. After landing in Edmonton last season, he managed 4 points in 17 regular-season games.
Oilers keep leaking goals ahead of their California road trip
Edmonton sits 2-0-1. That record hides a mess in its own end.
The Oilers have already allowed 14 goals. Tristan Jarry has been part of the problem, sitting at a .739 save percentage.
Devon Levi hasn't been much sturdier at .81, so the top of the lineup keeps having to outscore every mistake.
And it has. Connor McDavid already has 9 points, and Evan Bouchard has chipped in 8 from the blue line.
Below that tier, the picture darkens fast. Max Jones has no points and a -4 rating, while Shakir Mukhamadullin sits at -6.
Dropping a veteran center into that mix feels a bit like putting winter tires on in Edmonton after the first snowfall already sent three cars into the ditch.
Here's the part that should make Oilers fans wince. Dickinson's $4,000,000 cap hit runs through 2030-31.
That's too much money for too long. His career high is 35 points, set with Chicago in 2023-24, and nothing since suggests a climb back there.
The counterpoint lives in the spring. He scored 2 goals in 4 playoff games for Edmonton.
Is that enough to justify the bet? Babcock, hired in June, gets to decide how much rope the veteran gets.
Anaheim won't make tonight easy. The Ducks are 2-0-0 and riding a two-game winning streak.
It's also the first meeting between these clubs this season, with stops in San Jose on Saturday and Los Angeles next Tuesday to follow.
Dach's return date remains a blank. If Dickinson steadies the bottom of the lineup, the 23-year-old could come back to find his spot gone.
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Is Jason Dickinson worth a $4,000,000 cap hit to the Oilers through 2030-31?
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