The Edmonton Oilers announced on Sunday that they had signed 2026 NHL trade deadline rental Jason Dickinson to a five-year contract extension worth $4 million annual average value (AAV) but $20 million total. It comes in a little bit lower than the reported $5 million price tag he would cost.
Dickinson turns 31 next month and was set to become an unrestricted free agent on July 1st. He was acquired by Oilers general manager Stan Bowman at the trade deadline along with Colton Dach in exchange for Andrew Mangiapane and a conditional 2027 first round pick (top-12 protected).
The extension comes following speculation from insiders that the Oilers were planning to allow multiple pending unrestricted free agents to walk. Meanwhile, the team was working on extending their deadline acquisitions; Dickinson and Connor Murphy.
Dickinson contract presents a lot of risk
Dickinson will be 31 by the start of next year, which presents some legitimate risk for a player of his profile, committing five year term to him. He will be just shy of 36 by the time this deal expires and given his lack of scoring abilities, it does not bode well for how he may produce for the life of the contract.
This past season between both the Oilers and Chicago Blackhawks, he scored 17 points (seven goals, 10 assists) across both teams through 64 games, putting him on pace for nearly 22 points over 82 games. The season before, he recorded 16 points (seven goals, nine assists) in 59 games, again on pace for 22 points in 82 games.
This is a significant drop from his numbers in 2023-24 and 2022-23, where he scored 35 points, including 22 goals in 82 games and 30 in 78 games with the Blackhawks. These were two outlier seasons but prove there is at least some offence he can provide in the right situation but there is little reason to expect him to recreate or surpass these numbers.
Although in terms of cap hit percentage, the AAV is not too bad at just 3.8% of the allotted $104 million salary cap next season. It is the equivalent of just $3.63 million this past year and $3.34 million in 2024-25. Also, with the salary cap rising in the coming seasons, expecting to hit over $113 million by next season, it will continue to represent even less of the overall payroll.
However, this contract in particular will not destroy the Oilers' salary cap outlook, it is a part of a larger issue. Rather than paying an arm and a leg for a defensive specialist bottom-six centre who provides very little in terms of offensive output, is not the best allocation of your limited cap space. Especially if that centre is most likely to slide into a fourth-line role in the near future.
There are many players every year that are available in free agency who can provide a defensive boost to a club's bottom-six that can be had for close to league minimum. Especially with rookie Josh Samanski showing potential as a bottom-six shutdown centre who has potential to provide more offence.
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