On Tuesday, the Minnesota Wild placed Travis Dermott on waivers. As we wrote about shortly after, we wondered about the merits of the Edmonton Oilers putting in a claim for the defenceman, who they themselves had previously placed on waivers.
Well, the Oilers did in the end decide to reunite with Dermott, who had began the 2024-25 season in Edmonton after initially accepting a professional tryout invitation during training camp. The news was first reported by Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman, who confirmed the Oilers had claimed the 28-year-old.
As we had noted on Tuesday, if the Oilers were the only team to put in a claim for Dermott prior to Wednesday's deadline, then he could be sent to Bakersfield right away with no complications. This would appear to have been the case, with the Oilers officially confirming on social media that he was being assigned to the Condors in the AHL.
Travis Dermott is not the solution for the Oilers' defensive issues
We can certainly appreciate that there will be plenty of Oilers fans wondering how this move helps their organisation at the NHL level. The team desperately needs some quality defensive help, with them on a season-high four game losing streak that has included allowing a combined 22 goals.
However, we assume the general manager Stan Bowman is still considering ways to find upgrades -- whether it be on the blue line and/or in goal -- between now and the Mar. 7 trade deadline. As for the claim on Wednesday, it is more about adding some depth, particularly with the Condors having no left-shot defencemen and Dermott filling this need.
There's little denying the 2015 second round draft pick's best days are behind him, as he is no longer the same player who used to regularly appear on the blue line for the Toronto Maple Leafs for four years. This season has seen him play 19 combined games for the Oilers and Wild, with him on course for a career-low average ice-time of 12:16 per contest.
You do have to wonder if Dermott's connections within the Oilers organisation also persuaded them to put in their claim for him. As we noted back in September last year, CEO Jeff Jackson used to be his agent, while he also previously played alongside Connor McDavid and Connor Brown with the Erie Otters, with the trio all coached by Kris Knoblauch.
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