Oilers Center Jason Dickinson Unlikely to Start Season After Inking $20 Million Extension
Daily Faceoff reported that Dickinson is unlikely to start the season.
Getting a massive contract extension in the summer and immediately landing on injured reserve before opening night is the ultimate veteran move. The are officially going to be without Jason Dickinson to start the season, turning their shiny new $20 million investment into an early-season spectator.
Daily Faceoff reported that the 30-year-old center is unlikely to be ready for puck drop. Dickinson left a recent training camp drill visibly frustrated, and head coach Mike Babcock has already had to clarify the timeline for a guy who was supposed to anchor the bottom six.
acquired Dickinson from the at last year's trade deadline to stop the bleeding when Connor McDavid was off the ice. He did exactly that, putting up four points in 17 regular-season games and adding two goals in four playoff games against the Anaheim Ducks while visibly fighting through an injury.
That gritty postseason performance earned him a five-year extension at $4 million per season in June. Now, he is starting the first year of that deal on the shelf. Paying a premium for defensive depth only to have your shutdown center break down in September is like buying a snowblower in July and finding out the engine is shot on the first day of winter.
The stakes here are obvious. The Oilers are operating in a tight two-year window with McDavid's current contract, and general manager Stan Bowman specifically paid Dickinson to keep high-danger scoring chances away from their own net. Without him, the bottom of the forward rotation looks dangerously thin.
For anyone looking at 's early-season futures or game lines, this is a massive red flag for their team defense. You do not replace a guy who averages over 150 minutes of shorthanded ice time a year with a random camp invitee and expect the penalty kill to hold up.
The wrap up their preseason slate against the before the real games begin. Until Dickinson gets cleared to return, will have to survive the Western Conference by doing what they always do: asking their superstars to score six goals a night and hoping for the best.