The Edmonton Oilers made their most significant roster move of this young summer today. It wasn't a departure or a new arrival, but the retention of Jason Dickinson, who they acquired from the Chicago Blackhawks at the National Hockey League's trade deadline last season. Dickinson, a left-shooting depth center, is 30 years old, and barring a trade, he'll play the next five seasons in Oilers colours.
Brought in to help stabilize team defence, Dickinson was a positive addition to the Oilers' bottom six and penalty kill. Not only did he deliver in those situations, he contributed a two-goal game in Edmonton's Round 1 series versus the Anaheim Ducks. That game was a high point in the Oilers' otherwise disappointing playoff performance.
Good for now
This NY Times article on average salaries is a couple years out of date, but gives us an idea of where Dickinson's new salary figure, five years at $4 million per year, should fit on the depth chart. The range suggests that he's a slightly overpaid third line center, or a bit of a value as a second line center. Given Dickinson's relatively low offensive output, a single digit scorer for all but two of his professional years, we can pencil him in as the third line and first penalty kill center.
Dickinson spent a portion of his Oilers debut on the injury report with a lower body injury, revealed to be a sprained ankle after the playoff loss. If he been in the lineup, the Oilers might have seen different results, as Dickinson's defensive strengths were precisely what was missing. The concern, now that he's a long term Oiler, is that his durability is a bit of a question mark.
Since landing fully in the NHL as a Dallas Star in 2019, Dickinson has only two full(ish) seasons under his belt, 78 and 82 games. He has otherwise spent a number of extended periods on IR, missing 14 games in 2022, 23 games in 2025, and 17 games this past season.
Oilers may regret term
It's not the worst deal Oilers general manager Stan Bowman has signed his name on (that would be Trent Frederic), but it's probably more term than a 30 year old depth centre should get. Dickinson may be precisely what the OIlers need next year, but by the time this deal expires, he'll be past 35 years of age. As an average skater with little offense, it won't take too much of a slip in performance for him to be unable to keep up.
But that future concern won't matter if the Oilers find their way back the the Stanley Cup Final and get the job done.
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