There appears to be a growing sense Oilers general manager Stan Bowman will sign center Jason Dickinson in the days to come. Dickinson as an addition to the team has many positives, he’s a fine checker and penalty killer. His offense isn’t stellar, but if he’s leading the third line then outscoring is key and I’d say he could deliver in that role.
There are three key questions surrounding Dickinson: What is the AAV? How long is the contract? Is there a no-trade or no-movement element to the deal?
Of course, the biggest concern surrounds deployment. Dickinson is a guy who plays in the heart of the game. Here’s the 2025-26 Chicago Blackhawks player card via Puck IQ. Notice the percentage of time spent versus elites:
So that’s 48 percent of 13 minutes (over six minutes) versus elite competition. His Dangerous Fenwick is in the ditch, but you’ll notice he’s plus 1.3 percent rel. This is a good player, and he has solid numbers DFF against the mids and the soft parade. All of this looks pretty fancy. You’d like that for the Oilers, right? Kris Knoblauch didn’t use him that way.
Dickinson played a little over four minutes versus elites in Edmonton. I’m not surprised. In order for the Oilers to use Dickinson optimally, the new coach must:
- Play Dickinson in a shutdown role during the heart of the game.
- Fade Connor McDavid and Leon Draisiatl during those minutes, even if it means fewer minutes for the Glimmer Twins.
- Find Dickinson real wingers.
- Hold steady even if Dickinson struggles.
I don’t believe the Oilers as an organization have the discipline to tell McDavid the third line is going to do some of the heavy lifting. He’ll want to play in the heart of the game, and opposition coaches are going to MacGyver a way to force Babcock to send out Dickinson as often as possible. Last year, McDavid and Draisaitl, together and apart, played 670 minutes versus elites. The rest of the team played 361 minutes, via Puck IQ.
I’m hopeful line matching returns to Edmonton this fall, and Babcock can find some clean air for McDavid. I suspect Dickinson will play a smaller role versus elites than is being envisioned, but we’ll see.
400 post on June 21st!
Wow, incredible engagement
Pagnotta is suggesting that the Senators will offer sheet Jason Robertson if he gets to July 1, and are offering a trade (a la Miller and Carolina last year with the Rangers) in lieu of an offer sheet.
Puts the heat on Jim Nill.
Robertson is an American, but his wife is supposedly from Kingston, ON.
And well, he was not in on the US Olympic team group chats because they keep on leaving him off the team. So he was also not at the White House….
The Bobby McMann deal is 6 x $5.75M
Dickinson and McMann are both 30 interestingly Jason has more career goals. Bobby has been on a roll last 2 years. I would say that Bobby’s contract is more risky than the Dickinson one.
McMann scored at a 40 goal pace for Seattle. Dickenson had like a 25% goal share with the Oilers.
McMann is also a much better skater, so is likely to age better.
I feel bad for Sens fans today … Brady has been plotting all along to pull a Matthew and tell the Canadian team that drafted him he was not going to resign, and would only agree to a trade to Florida.
Staios was completely backed into a corner and got screwed in much the same way we did when Pronger forced his way out.
All that said I feel Staois did as well as he could.
Absolutely – he didn’t delude himself and bend over to appease his star player. He ripped off the bandaid, accepted that the Tkachuk clan had him backed into a corner and pulled the trigger without drawing things out for months.
Ryan Rishaug
@TSNRyanRishaug
·
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Sounds like solid progress has been made between Murphy and the Oilers, wouldn’t be surprised to see something get done in the next day or so.
3:16 PM · Jun 21, 2026
————
This is ancient news now, but i didn’t see it posted previously
I bet 6 x 3.
Rishaugh saying 4 x 5 years, with a mix of salary and sign bonuses
Where is he saying that?
Staples wrote about it in the EJ.
Bowman gets his Cody Ceci.
By signing for less than Ceci, when the cap is materially higher and being a much better player?
I don’t imagine it’s anywhere near $6MM AAV. This is the one player who has stated publicly twice that he’s made more money in the NHL that he can fathom and, essentially, getting the bag is not top priority.
I’d be shocked if it’s over $5MM.
I hope you are right!
I find it interesting that LT literally gives the evidence that JD is not a 4th liner, and then people rush to tell us he’s a 4th liner.
Holds the dam with some leaks against elites. Thrived against middle forwards on both teams. That is exactly what a 3rd line C should do.
The crappy thing is that he is going to not be at this level in 5 years, but the cap will continue to rise over the duration of the contract.
His player card shows he got crushed by elites in Edmonton. His rel numbers are all poor and he was outscored 5-10.
He was 8th in toi/per game for forwards. So a 3rd liner based on TOI.
Carolina’s 3rd line centre is Jordan Staal. Florida’s is Anton Lundell. Colorado, Nazim Kadri.
Jason Dickenson has never been confused with any of them.
What about Vegas? The WC champs
Oilers second line center is Draisaitl. Not to be confused with Nelson.
I don’t mind the Dickenson signing. $4M is really peanuts in the new NHL, it’s less than the average cost of a player (1/23 ~ 4.3%, this contract is sub 4% of the cap now over 100M). Oilers have had issues killing penalties, and JD makes them better on the PK, and plays the most critical position.
It’s also great to see these guys want to stay here. Edmonton ain’t a bad place to raise a family. Winter’s cold -sure -but you’re playing hockey after all. I know the NMCs are tough but he wants to stay here and keep his family here. As a dad – I get it. Happy Father’s Day to all the dads out there and to JD too.
Excellent. It doesn’t matter what Bowman does the first responses are always going to be negative.
Well you know there are people on this message board that are way smarter then anyone in Oilers management or at least they think they are.
Well it’s safe to say no one has ever accused you of this.
Can someone explain the logic of signing 4th liners to long term extensions? It makes no sense. Why take on so much risk? Why give trade protection? Seriously, what concessions did Bowman get in negotiations?
In two years, a poster will praise Bowman for his ability to clear cap space when he trades Dickinson and a 1st for a new 30 year old fourth liner.
Bowman’s lazy and now thinks he doesn’t have to worry about that spot for 5 years.
Just like how he was so happy to only have to make the one trade with Chicago.
What a clown.
It’s clear the org does not consider him a 4th line player even if some fans think he is. He won’t be deployed in a 4th line role, that’s for sure
Just like Frederic.
That is correct and I was going to mention him in my post.
That signed him as a 3rd liner based off a history of play in that position and it has not stated well – he vastly underperformed. I expect him to play at a 3rd line level for much of the next few season but I can’t argue with the facts of how its gone.
Could happen with a Dickinson too but the point is the org isn’t providing these contract offers for what they deem as fourth liners.
This is exactly my point. The organization incorrectly thought Frederic was a third line level player. Based on poor pro scouting they handed out a long term deal. In the case of Frederic, many casual observers easily predicted he was not a third liner player. I will eat my shorts if he performs at a third line level this year. He was literally scratched in the playoffs. How often does this player type rebound at Frederic’s age? Not very.
It was poor risk management. Same thing with Dickinson.
I didn’t like the 5th year on the contract most Oiler fans feel like Bowman over paid. Watching hi-lites of Jason goals actually pumped me up. Most of his goals are obviously 5 on 5 but he doesn’t need anyone to spoon feed him for his goals. Jason creates on his own If he can stay healthy he’s a bit of a power forward. I think Jason-Frederic-Dach will thrive under Babcock.
It least it didn’t take long to watch all 7 goals he scored last year plus the 7 the year before.
Did you also watch the 40 goals against he was on the ice for last year?
PuckPedia
@PuckPedia
·
1h
The Jason Dickinson contract with #LetsGoOilers 5 Yrs at $4M Cap Hit
Yr 1 – 4: $2.5M Salary, $1.5M Signing Bonus
Yr 5: $3M Salary, $1M SB
Full NMC Yr 1-3 (expires June 15, 2029), 16 Team Trade list Yr 4-5
Rep’d by Patrick Morris
@TheHockeyAgency
I hate every part of the management of this team. You’ve gotta be effing kidding me with this NMC garbage.
Its wild especially since the players gotta realize that most likely they’re going to be on the winning side of the trade if the Oilers were to trade them lol
There was always going to be trade protection – this was expected and in the range.
Bowman needs to step up immediately and counter attack the Tkachuk brothers by obtaining Kirby Dach. I can see it so clearly the Tkachuk vs Dach brothers in the Final Booooook It……………..
Bowman doesn’t need to do anything to counter what Florida did.
Acquring Dach now would be one of the stupidest moves how make as it commits the Oilers to offering Dack a $4MM contract or him becoming a UFA.
I’m not sure what Olympic gold medalist Tkachuk has to do with a 4th liner reclamation project that may not even make 30 games….
You need to go down to the farm and work on your sense of humour.
It’s non-existent.
That was a humorous comment – 100% of it – and you couldn’t help but engage and tell us all how this is materially incorrect.
Yeah, we ALL know that. EVERY. SINGLE. ONE. OF. US.
You are the only one who didn’t get it.
I think what I dislike most about the Dickinson signing is that it’s another example of Bowman’s current “role”-based approach, which is (imo) hopelessly outmoded. 3C no longer equals shutdown center. Especially since, as LT points out, you’re then left with a relatively useless line if another player or line is better suited to shutting down the other team’s beset players. When you look for specific player types to fill specific roles, you 1) limit your player options from the outset, which is also why Bowman seems incapable of treating lower-level players as the fungible assets (or sunk costs) they often are; and, relatedly, 2) you overpay for more limited and relatively fungible players.
Prioritize/optimize for flexibility throughout the roster, both in terms of personnel and deployment, and especially outside of the higher-paid core.
I’m also now questioning what I think of the concept of “core” – but I guess there’s no way around that way of thinking, at least for the moment, when you have players as singular as McDavid, Draisaitl, and Bouchard.
Gotta say, it’s frustrating that contending teams like Florida, Vegas, and Tampa continue to add big time players seemingly every year while Edmonton is stuck overpaying for mid range veterans. Who was the last big time player the Oilers added? Hyman in 2021? I guess you could count Kane in the same year. Ekholm in 2023? Don’t those other teams know that contending teams don’t have any cap space, draft capital, or tradeable assets?
Jarry may surprise everyone this year under Babcock.
Big time. Our answer to Marner is Dickinson. Woot!
I didn’t know Marner is a third line center.
Except that doesn’t include that the Oilers already have 3 elite players and no other team does. They can’t afford another top player and have depth which is why Nurse is going if possible
I bet Nurse will look good with his new team. If Nurse would have only had more bark-bite in his game. I don’t think I ever heard an opponent say a bad thing about Nurse.
Makes you think about roster construction doesn’t it? Is having elite players less important in hockey than other sports? Hockey is the ultimate team game and depth seems to win out more often than not. If McDavid and Draisaitl are taking up too much cap space to field a team with enough depth to win, then having elite players becomes a curse instead of a blessing. Or do you just need a GM that emphasizes cap space, draft capital, and asset management to build a team with enough depth to win? I think the latter and that is my point.
Depth and balance win over and over and over again.
Both the Leafs and Oilers took the superstar route while Tampa, Vegas, Florida and now the Hurricanes had skill up and down the lineup.
The question now becomes do the Leafs or Oilers blink first.
Vegas has Eichel/Stone/Marner, Tampa has Kucherov/Hagel/Vasilevsky, Florida has Barkov/Tkachuk/Bobrovsky. All these teams have superstars, or just below. Depth and superstars win
Boom!
David Pagnotta
@TheFourthPeriod
Things are very fluid, and there’s plenty of time for Dallas to explore its options, but sources say Ottawa is making a big push for Jason Robertson. If a trade cannot be ironed out and he hits July 1 as an RFA, the Senators could present him with a significant offer sheet.
We just got out from under Henrique’s contract just to get right back into it with Dickinson.
I will say though, Dickinson’s signing has made me feel better about the Babcock hire. If there’s one thing about Dickinson, it’s that he thrives in a shutdown role going up against the opposition’s best and taking them out of the game. Babcock is a believer in matching lines unlike the last guy, and I’m confident he will use Dickinson in a more effective way than Knoblock would have (or did).
Still not in love with the contract though.
Have you looked at his numbers vs elites though? He’s been getting absolutely caved. Not sure where this high end defensive reputation comes from. Hoping for the best but…
Dickinson is currently 30 years old – he’s not near the cliff like Rico.
This deal ends earlier than Rico’s current age.
I don’t love the deal but its not terrible, in my opinion my opinion.
The cliff arrrives, sometimes suddenly, at different times for different players.
Well documented aging curves show forwards, on average, start to decline around 25.
That average is skewed by elite players who most often decline later and last longer while low skilled players are very often out of the league in their early 30’s.
Signing one of the latter to a 5 year contract is the antithesis of good cap management.
So would you say signing a 30 year old player to an eight year contract is risky?
Weren’t you just praising the signing the signing of a 30 year old for 8 years?
Good Grief
but 8 years is ok right ?
The 2 goals against Anaheim is a good example what we’re getting for this year. Dickinson has the ability to create goals on his own.
OK but he generally doesn’t do it.
He scored 22 one year, other than that, never more than 9 goals in a season.
Why do GMs keep doing FLA favors?
Something doesn’t smell right.
Totally! There was no rush to do this, and Staios got back magic beans.
Tkachuk made it clear that he wound not sign an extension in Ottawa so Staois acted preemptivel
You can debate the return but Ottawa is looking at Jason Robertson as a replacement.
Exactly. A 1st & 2nd for Samoskevich! Giving Panthers the assets to get Brady.
It’s interesting that Ottawa didn’t value Samoskevich. Clearly they could have had Samoskevich instead of those picks. One has to think that they plan to use the picks to trade for someone else.
Tampa will step-up and obtain a few folks to deal with the Tkachuk Bro’s. Tampa vs Florida is probably the best rivalry in the entire league and it’s not even close. I hope Babcock will give our bottom 6 some opportunities to be meaningful. We need a new PP-2 for at least 40 seconds also allow the Serfs a few carrots against open nets with a 2 or even a 1 goal lead.
Babcock very well could run a bench that has a true PP2.
He runs his top players less than most coaches (with superstars).
We have the best PP in the league yet when it comes to crunch time it has stalled out. I really do think a totally different PP-2 would throw a wrench into the defending team. Walman as QB with Howard as the trigger man Podkolzin can be net front presence. I think everyone and their dog knows that the pounding of Leon-Connor days are over. We need some big skilled wingers that eat up the hard minutes so Connor-Leon have more fresh air as the game goes on.
It stalled out as McDavid, Drai, Bouchard and Hyman were all hurt.
I remember when the Oilers won the draft lottery for #97. The sentiment here was, “UFAs will be taking huge discounts to play on this team.”
Meanwhile, locking up Frederic, Wahlman, Dickinson for 5-8 years at ~$14 million.
Did you forget Jack Campbell and Darnell Nurse?
how about Colborne and Rafferty ?
Three Dickinsons and a 2nd gets you Brady tkachuk
Gotta say I would have let Dickinsen walk.
No other options. Need a 3C
Worst case, Nuge gets you to the deadline.
In three years the cap will be 120 million.
Everyone take a deep breath.
So good. Fred Dicky and whomever else will be on the lower end. This is good
That doesn’t mean you lock in mediocre old guys.
Yeah. This is loser thinking.
Please show me another contending team that has signed two 4th liners to 5+ year contracts.
Yes but new player salaries will raise with the cap. Or maybe you’re never planning on acquiring new players or resigning those whose contracts are ending?
McDavid wont be at $12.5m for eternity.
Cats: “Oil might be cooked but just in case they’re not let’s go get that other Brady and that should push us over yet again.”
PuckPedia
@PuckPedia
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3m
The Jason Dickinson contract with
5 Yrs at $4M Cap Hit
Yr 1 – 4: $2.5M Salary, $1.5M Signing Bonus
Yr 5: $3M Salary, $1M SB
Full NMC Yr 1-3 (expires June 15, 2029), 16 Team Trade list Yr 4-5
Rep’d by Patrick Morris @TheHockeyAgency
“Jason, I heard you and your family like Edmonton so I’ll tell you what – the best I can do is 5×4 and some trade protections. I shouldn’t be saying this but.. if you guys didn’t like Edmonton I would have offered you more to convince you to stay!”
I get the NMC from the player’s perspective but why aren’t they worth more? You would think they are worth at least a 10% discount on the contract.
Well, done! Get good players, keep good players.
No problem with the player, but imo he’s not a 3rd line C.
Too much cap.
Too long of a term.
Full NMC feels over-the-top and completely unnecessary.
Summary… I sure hope it works out, but another high risk contract.
3 year NMC isnt bad at all IMO. And then flexibility when Samanski/whoever is ready to take over.
It is if we don’t get a discount for it. The player gets an insurance policy if things don’t go 100% great but the team should get some insurance too in the form of a discount.
Good point
The Dickinson signing is going to end up firmly in the Eric Belanger and Ben Eager category.
If it wasn’t completely obvious, the championship window has essentially closed for the Oilers.
Absolutely disagree. This is a quality bottom six centre with good results against strong competition. This is the type of player that provides a coach options to beat the opposition.
Yup. May not work out but the concept is correct
Yes to the first sentence. Completely.
You got a lot of down votes, but you’re correct. Other teams are going to get better this off-season. The Oilers are going to run in place and get even older. Not a recipe for success.
Here’s hoping that:
Babcock won’t alienate half the team
Dickenson can actually shutdown the elites
Freddy can score 12 goals
Jarry can stop pucks
Walman can stay healthy
We get something, anything useful for Nurse
Etc etc.
Thats a lot of “ifs” for a contender.
Oh well.
I guess we just shouldn’t play next year.
Maybe 2027?
I was hoping for a ~ $3-$3.5 per for Dickenson, but no more than 3 years. Feels too long and I’m really hoping there are no NMC / NTC attached to the deal.
Watching the Oilers sign Dickenson while Florida trades for Brady Tkachuk, this really feels similar to when the Panthers brought in Marchand and the Oilers responded by bringing in an injured Frederic. 🙁
BTW, if our 3rd line is RNH-Dickinson-Frederic, that’s an expensive 3rd line. I’m *really* hoping Frederic enjoys a renaissance in 2026-2027 – I think he’s capable, and if so, RNH-Dickinson-Frederic could be a really strong line that could reduce minutes for McDrai, while also allowing Samanski to continue to grow as a player before shoving him into the 3rd line.
I’ve complained plenty about the Oilers bringing in Babcock. However, based on some discussion below, if Babcock causes the Oilers to keep Nurse (and pair him with a re-signed Murphy), that could be really positive.
Sorry, should clarify – RNH-Dickinson-Frederic would be an expensive 3rd line if their offense lands where I expect it to. I’m cheering for them, and hoping to be pleasantly surprised this upcoming season, but remain cautiously worried.
The reality is that Edmonton deals with cold temperatures and a fan base that demands perfection or you’ll hear about every time you leave your house. Florida you get summer breezes year-round and you can walk freely wherever you want tax-free. The bias is certainly a thing and a tax you gotta be geographically
In coming up with data to slander Tkachuk I found that Mason Marchment has the same # of 5v5 points the last three seasons. Hes over 2 5v5/60 the last three seasons. He has bounced around so might be cheaper than expected.
Bingo but not a C
We don’t need a C. He could be LW with either McDavid or Draisaitl.
Podz-McD-Savoie
Marchment-Drai-Hyman
Nuge-Dickinson-Fred
though I guess ive cut Howard but he seems like a weird fit on the Dickinson’s line.
Well those teams in Florida’s division vision are going to hate playing Florida even more now. A few rumours that they are going after Helly for goal. Not sure what they would trade, but if they get him and stay healthy for a few years they could win a few more cups.
As of right now this is not a good return for Ottawa in not getting any players back. Guess we wait to see if they make some trades.
Im guessing they will grab at least Kyrou or, ideally Thomas. Honestly Kyrou pretty much replaces Tkachuk’s offence if they can add to the #25 overall to get him and keep the 9th overall that would be a pretty big win for Ottawa. They also have pick #32 so three firsts to work with this year.
They may miss Brady’s offence. They definitely will miss his offensiveness. Not many like him. FLA, already offensive, have now become unbearably so.
Would be great if Ottawa asked for Matthew Tkachuk in exchange.
It’s becoming a trend with American players heading home. Gaudreau , Turtle, Hughes, now Brady. With Helley rumours also making the rounds. I put the betting odds at 75% that this will be Auston Matthews last season in Toronto.
Bowman seems to like US players. A worry
My upper limit on a Dickenson deal was 3×3 (same as for a Roslovic return), so I would have preferred they let him walk. I see him as a very good 4C and not good enough 3C, aside from an injury fill-in. Would prefer paying more and acquiring someone with more scoring for that roster spot, but at least he has an established level of performance so you know what you’re getting.
I totally agree but the GM has to go with what’s available. Many are calling JD a 4C, but they don’t usually play top comp well. He should be viewed as like Danault who makes 5.5 and didn’t score more
And PD is a big reason why they got so far
Is Dickinson actually effective at playing top comp?
He has been. We’ll see what happens. Effective doesn’t mean more than survival
Does Carolina counter with a Hellebuyck trade? Florida has nothing left to trade for Larkin or Hellebuyck.
Zito would take the thug C MT all day long over Larkin
The brother story also helps sell in the market. Not every team is as lucky as Edm. TO and Montreal
McMann staying in Seattle. 😔
If the Brady report is true, for someone on the ‘F your feelings’ side of the spectrum he really took his ball and went home the moment anyone challenged his way of thinking.
Character move from a character guy. Tough for Ottawa in the here and now but you dont need that guy as your Captain. Let him benefit from Barkov and PED’s. Footnote.
Just another in a growing line of NHL stars choosing their destinations.
Charater has nothing to with it but state taxes just might.
And playing with your brother on a well-managed team.
He was the Captain of the team with a contract he signed for 7 years.
To think the Olympics had nothing to do with it is foolhardy.
I understand bringing back Dickinson, term and cap hit are high for a 3C –
4C on a contender…
Personally I would have prioritized Kapenen, perhaps they tried & KK is looking to get paid in full
Why can’t we have nice things?
3.6% of the cap for a 3 C is pretty good! This is his 1st year on contract so cant compare to 3 C’s that signed 4 years ago…
He is NOT a #3C. He would not crack Carolina’s roster. #4C at best.
And Sebastian Aho is not a IC. He would be a 3C on the Oilers…..
That’s now how it works.
I respectfully disagree with your analysis. I think his record shows as a great 3C. Speed, size, shutdown ability, faceoff, penalty kill, heavy zone starts, still chips in some offense and will go to the net. Sounds like 3C to me.
Hearing that the Florida Panthers are getting close to acquiring Brady Tkachuk from the Ottawa Senators.
I believe Ottawa will get three first-round picks and a second-round pick in the deal if finalized. More to come.
https://x.com/pierrevlebrun/status/2068812392738226523?s=61
Is this another unreliable twitter insider like the Cossa rumour?
Elliott confirmed.
What’s massive fail by Ottawa. Trading Brady for magic beans
The Senators just gained 200 IQ points.
Stupidest player in the league and it’s not even close.
More LeBrun:
My understanding is the Senators also had conversations with Carolina and Vegas, other teams that were on Tkachuk’s list. I also think Minnesota was on the list. Four-team list but in the end, Brady obviously wanted to go join his brother in Florida.
Senators made the best of a tough situation.
Panthers don’t seem to have any firsts in the next 3 years. Wonder how they are going to pull that off?
They did have them.
They acquired one in a trade with Seattle this morning to go along with their own and the third one is 2029.
Dickinson on the open market would have probably demanded $5 per season over 4 years. So yes 5 years seems one year too many but the money works out the same and saves the Oilers $1 M this year to spend on other players. Comments related to his poor offense make no sense as he is strictly a hard nosed defensive minded player. That is the type of player Oilers need more of on the team. Prior to his injury he looked good in the playoffs. I would have preferred shorter term but understand the reality. Dickenson is a useful hockey player.
So let him go then.
He’s not 4×5 useful.
Let him go to market then. That is what Carolina does. Let them go to market, and use analytics to find the affordable replacement.
Now you’re fellating Carolina?
What happened to your love affair with the greatest team in the history of hockey; The Mighty St Louis Blues?
What Would The Blues Do?
I reckon UFAs like Edmonton because of the premium management pays.
Isn’t the Dickinson deal below market, based on the chatter?
I think Dickinson can help us in the next three years. The deal is one year too much, hopefully no additional clauses.
I would run that math again. The deal is five years long.
When is the last time the league, the expert commentariat, the fans have ever praised Oilers management for striking a good deal on a free agent signing, or winning a trade?
McDavid 2-yr deal? Pods trade? Lightning in a bottle.
Can you imagine a Bill Zito or whoever signing a 3rd/4th line centre to a $4×5?
Management gets ZERO credit for McDavid’s extension…they would have paid him anything he wanted while the 2 year term is an indictment of their continued bungling.
It’s not just about that. He’s also leaving money on the table so his team can get deeper. We’ll see what the next one looks like. He is being accommodated and the team is being built up. If they sign Murphy and Kapanen it’s a solid group, all that is left is actually playing up to their potential most of the time
Bowman really needs to keep the Murphy contract to 3 years or less. Yes, the next two years are ultra important but they are really getting to be boxed in with these long term contracts given to aging players
He is older than JD so I also hope for that
Talking heads in Islanders land are saying Pelech is available, 5.7 for 3 more years.
Is there a way to send Nurse out with a Pelech return?
Ekholm/Bouchard
Pelech/Walman
Would Howard+ draft capital get the trade done?
I would think Nurse-Howard would get you a serviceable player with a medium prospect that are on par or slightly overpaid for the next few years. I think Howard is the key to dumping Nurse and his contract
The Nurse trade is not involved in the Howard/Pelech trade other then opening the position and cap space.
Is Pelech more than a third pair guy?
They’d still need to sign Murphy and pair Pelech with either Murphy or Emberson. Maybe even Bouchard.
Ekholm-Bouchard
Pelech- Murphy
Walman-Emberson
Might be a nice fit.
Pelech is not a 3rd pairing defender in any meaningful way.
He’s much more an Ekholm trade again.
He’s more Connor Murphy then Connor Murphy.
There’s no signing Murphy if Pelech is brought on board.
21+ a night, heavy PK, covers the crease for Walman on the 2nd pairing, or bumps Ekholm down.
Was a junior teammate of the captain.
Pelech is LHD & Murphy is RHD. Both would be perfect because Walman is also a LHD. I don’t understand your logic.
Im playing Walman on the right hand side, where he has had success before the Oilers and Knoblauchs constant mish mashing of things.
He’s better on his natural side.
Walman has demonstrated that he is useless on the right side.
He was great when he arrived on the right hand side and not injured.
Last year was a wash.
Except when he hasn’t been.
Walman has proven he’s great on both sides, when healthy, but not great when he has an LBI and can barely pivot.
BTW boys – happy Father’s Day to all you gents! Hope your beers are cold and your steaks are perfectly medium rare today.
Samanski is going into his final year, RFA next summer.
If he out performs or equals Dickinson’s season, they can qualify him for 1 year at 110% of his current deal. Then what?
How will they be able to afford to keep him while paying a 4C a huge tag?
Salary cap going up. Bowman who set the standard for a Seth Jones driving up Nurses value by 2 million. I wonder if this sets the bar for bottom 6 checking forward. They could have just stayed with downtown fan favourite Brown for less money.
Samanski won’t ever put up much offense and will be earning RFA money, he won’t be expensive for a few years at least
He’s only eligible for one year of RFA money, he’s producing the same as Dickinson right now. He’ll be paid here or elsewhere.
He just turned 24, he won’t be a UFA until 2030 unless there is something different with the euro contracts they are signing?
He’s an over aged signing, he’s RFA next summer for 1 summer then UFA if not signed.
**Sorry he has 2 years of possible RFA play with the Oilers that will run him until he’s 27. Dickinson will still have 3 years left.
Centers are in extreme short supply in the NHL. If Samanski shows a pulse, he can and will be offer sheeted at the 3rd round draft pick level.
What makes you think Samanski will out perform Dickinson?
There was no difference between the two when Dickinson was brought on board.
Dick got 4 points in 17 games with a +/- of -3 at 15mins playing 3rd line
Sam got 4 points in 22 games with a +/- of +2 at 10mins playing with Frederic.
Sam will ski past Dickinson.
They’re similar but Dickinson is an experienced veteran. That’s a small sample to forcast the two players ability. It will take years for Samanski to ski past Dickinson. How was Sam in the playoffs?
It absolutely will not, sports are a young mans game. Samanski is very good defensively, his offense will only grow and if it doesn’t it’s already Dickinson level.
He was Healthy and available, put up 2 points in under 9 mins a game.
Wow, nice sample size…lol. did you compare zone starts ect. Dickinson has a huge amount of hockey to draw off, dont judge o. 20 games and you dont know players health during that time. We have seen it with Ek, Walman and even McD in the playoffs this year how you look when you are not 100%. Should we look at how poor McD was based in the playoffs this year?
He or JD can play wing. Adding more centres onto the roster mitigates against injuries
So Bowman is going to run back last year’s team minus Kapanen, Roslo, and Henrique.
I assume Murphy signs for 6 x 3 or 5 x 4.
We are in danger hahah.
Given Dickinson is younger and has made less in career, and signed for less than he was making in a rising cap environment, and they are friends, I’m hopeful Murphy isn’t too bad. He also doesn’t produce which helps
I doubt it. This is Muphy’s retirement deal. He will want to get paid. He also plays a premium position and is huge.
Murphy has already got paid, twice (and maid over $43MM in the NHL).
He’s been on record saying he’s made more money than he could have possibly fathomed. Of course, he’s going to get a near market deal but this man does not sound like he’s chasing a big retirement contract as his first concern.
made…..
Rico was a replacement level player last season, Roslovic can be replaced by Howard as far as offensive impact goes and Howard might even win more battles and get in more shooting lanes,
Last year’s team was a good team that played average and, while there will be a few more changes, I’m much higher on the incumbent team, after the 5.5 month break with the top 100% re-set and ready to commit to playing a structured game making everyone better, including the goalies, etc…..
In a Nurse for Graves swap, does Pitt need to retain salary to make that plausible? I wouldn’t make the trade if it was simply 1-for-1.
If Pitt retains $1.5M can this guy cover the bet as a 3LD, or do you just buy him out anyway?
You send him to Philly, there’s zero reason to entertain a Graves trade.
Can’t buy out Ryan Graves. I believe the buyout still means $3.5m on the cap. It would be more efficient to just send him down to the minors and save the $1.2m instead.
Ryan Graves, or similar, return for Nurse is a worst case scenario.
Or maybe it’s just wishful thinking on my part.
If it’s Nurse for Graves you do not make that trade. You keep Nurse!
A month ago I would have contemplated this type of trade.
Now, with all the talk on Nurse’s lack of negative value (which we likely all believe to differing degrees), I don’t want a shitty player back and Graves is a 6/7 and we need a legit 4/5 to play 3LD is there is no Nurse.
I’d keep Nurse I think.
Well, I don’t have much to add to what other posters have put more eloquently. The Dickinson signing is a very bad contract. I’m already putting it in the Kassian/Frederic category, both of which I hated from the get-go.
I’m sure he’s a great guy and Babcock will love him this next season, until everything blows up. But this guy’s offense is in Belanger Triangle territory.
I don’t love the position that the Oilers are in, especially in a couple of years from now for multiple reasons.
In saying this, I understand this signing. The singular focus, whether we like it or not, is the Oilers are only making decisions based on winning this year and next. Dickinson gives another option down the middle, making the spine of our team quite good. There are almost zero better UFA options and they would likely cost more.
I don’t believe Bowman and co. Will be able to make any moves that will significantly improve the personnel of this team from last year. Maybe the Nurse trade surprises but more than likely there is a downgrade coming in to replace him.
I hope to be pleasantly surprised but it’s hard to believe at this point another team is going to make a fair trade with us.
Nurse is being replaced by Walman and whatever 3LD Stan can get from the cheap UFA pile. That might be an upgrade.
Dear God let it not be Stastney as the solution for 3LD.
I agree on Stastny, not a regular NHLer at this point. I would like to see the return on Nurse including a solid third pairing guy.
When I look he played 63 mins vs Elites with EDM.
per game.
Was Dickenson playing top 6 or bottom 6 minutes for Chicago. Can we take some of his Chicago numbers with a grain of salt, in that he may have been playing higher up in the Hawks lineup than he’ll be asked to for the Oilers?
Bedard played the most per game five-on-five (16 mins game) for Chicago, Dickinson, Greene and Nazar all around 13 mins game. The PuckIQ binning above shows us Dickinson is helping the kids byplaying the toughs. He won’t need to in Edmonton, but a veteran coach should be ablje to find clean air for the impact scorers by playing Dickinson more against the best. Not much more, but a little.
When was the last time the Oilers signed an aging UFA 3C to a good deal? Maybe Craig Mactavish in the late ’80s?
MacTavish was 27 his first year in Edmonton.
Any word on the strings attached to this deal?
Puckpedia have no clauses listed currently. These can pop up later on but I sure hope not in this case haha.
4M 4C
Almost 4M 4th line winger.
For at least the next 5 years.
Idiots running this team. Just embarrassing.
Kevin McCurdy
@KevinMcCurdy
Walman 7 years, Frederic 8 years, Dickinson 5 years. all of these have a very low chance of positive value over the term. I like Dickinson well enough but the terms are signing us up for a world of hurt.
On the plus side, we won’t even have to hire a next GM becuase the team will run itself for the better part of a decade.
Add Leon and that is the new core. Savoie and Howard both need to pop or Nurse-Howard need to fetch a new player that will be part of the cartel.
Your opinion has zero chance of positive value. Stick to your loser Canuck team. How did your hero Hughs make out with them? How was that giant return they got for him? How is you #1 11.5 million center doing these days? Heard he’s great in the room…
Not my opinion Sparky.
No, its Kevin’s and, if Kevin wanted to post it on this site he would.
You scouring the internet looking for random opinions negative to the Oilers to post here is quite past-time.