The Edmonton Oilers have been busy this offseason as they gear up for another Stanley Cup run. Their additions of Jeff Skinner and Viktor Arvidsson in free agency and Ty Emberson in a trade make them one of the strongest contenders heading toward the new campaign. With Cody Ceci’s and Philip Broberg’s departures in two separate moves, the right side of the Oilers’ blue line doesn’t look as deep as last season. While Emberson is a solid upgrade on Ceci, they could benefit from bringing in another right-shot defender to fill out the third-pairing, or at least create internal competition between Josh Brown, and Troy Stecher, among others.
In a recent article, Kurt Leavins of the Edmonton Journal shed some light on a potential fit for the Oilers heading into camp, as they have been rumoured to be searching for a defender to add on a professional tryout contract (PTO.) As hinted at by The Hockey Writers’ Jim Parsons in his NHL Rumors column, Travis Dermott is someone they have looked into.
‘It is more likely that we could see the likes of Travis Dermott. Yes, he is a lefty but comfortably plays both sides. He was coached by (wait for it) Kris Knoblauch in Erie and was represented in the past by Jeff Jackson. There is a split-squad game with the Flames on the twenty-third. They will need 12 D-men for that. Hmmm.
Dermott has spent time with the Vancouver Canucks, Toronto Maple Leafs, and most recently, the Arizona Coyotes. The 27-year-old left-shot defender played 50 games last season scoring two goals and adding five assists for seven points. Throughout his career, he has scored 16 goals and added 46 assists for 62 points through 329 games. His connection to Knoblauch and Jackson makes him an enticing free agent, and he has played both sides in his career, making him a potentially solid third-pairing guy alongside Brett Kulak.
Oilers fans have often criticized the team’s ability to play consistent defensive hockey over the past few seasons. While last season was a strong showing in every sense and there were no real weaknesses, it’s tough to predict whether they will be able to find strength in their defensive zone with the pairings they have this season. While Mattias Ekholm and Evan Bouchard are one of the strongest pairings in the NHL, it gets worrisome after that. The second pairing is tentatively listed as Darnell Nurse and Emberson, who could work well together, but Emberson’s lack of experience is a concern.
It doesn’t get any better after that. While Kulak has proven himself to be a stable bottom-pairing defender throughout his career, who his partner ends up being this season is up in the air. Stecher and Brown both have a chance to steal that spot and battle on a nightly basis, but it would make more sense to keep the lineup as consistent as possible. Bringing in Dermott would allow for that to happen, and considering he already has a relationship built with the head coach, he would likely be comfortable as soon as he gets into the lineup.
Adding Dermott, a defensive-minded player, would be the perfect partner for Kulak. It’s not that Kulak needs a stronger partner to elevate his game, but the two together could become a strong shutdown pairing. The other benefit of bringing in Dermott is that it would likely only cost the Oilers $775,000 to sign him to a one-year contract. Dermott has waited this long for a deal, so signing at the league minimum seems like a strong possibility for him.
The Oilers should make their intentions clear in the next week or so; whether it’s by camp invites, a trade, or another free agent signing, there should be more clarity soon. Either way, I would expect the Oilers to bring in a defender who has a good shot at cracking the opening-night roster, and Dermott fits the bill.
For weeks now there have been rumours and general chitchat about the Edmonton Oilers bringing on at least one more experienced defenceman to training camp later this month. On Tuesday came a report from Dustin Nielson of Edmonton Sports Talk that the Oilers have come to terms with Travis Dermott on a Professional Tryout (PTO).
Dermott, still just 27, is a seven-year NHL veteran with Toronto, Vancouver, and most recently Arizona with whom he played 50 games last season. Over that span, he’s played 329 NHL games, almost exclusively in a third pairing role averaging 16 minutes per game.
That Erie connection is more than just Kris Knoblauch, of course. For the first two years of Dermott’s time there, he was a teammate of none other than Connor McDavid.
Put another way, this player has a past history with the Oilers’ President of Hockey Operations, their head coach, and their captain. That’s apt to open a door or two on the path to a fresh opportunity.
Dermott’s history suggests he played his best hockey in Toronto, for whom he was a high second-round pick in the famous 2015 NHL Draft. He was traded from the Maple Leafs to Vancouver at the deadline in 2022, but suffered a concussion in a preseason practice the subsequent fall. That essentially wrecked his 2022-23 season, in which he was limited to just 11 NHL games plus 1 AHL contest on a conditioning assignment. The Canucks didn’t renew his contract following that season, leading to his signing a one-year, two-way deal with Arizona this past season. He managed to make the club and spend the season in the NHL with modest results.
This summer has seen the 6’0, 202-lb. defender on the outside looking in, at least until this latest news which as of this writing has not been confirmed by the hockey club.
If it becomes official, he will become the 15th defender on the training camp roster:
…which is more than enough for those split-squad games on the 23rd, Worth noting the club also has single games on the 22nd and 25th so no harm in having an extra body around.
Dermott’s ability to play on either side of the ice might come in handy in those hectic early days of camp. From there, it’s up to the player himself to prove he’s worthy of an actual contract.
The Oilers are expected to host Travis Dermott at their skates this week before inviting him to camp on a PTO per Daily Faceoff’s Frank Seravalli. Dermott has 329 NHL games under his belt. He’s played for the now-relocated Arizona Coyotes, Toronto Maple Leafs, and Vancouver Canucks in the past.
The 27-year-old, who is 6 feet tall, is not the biggest blueliner but has solid skating and puck-moving ability. Last season, he had two goals and five assists for seven points in 50 games with the Coyotes.
He has cracked the double-digit point mark three times in his NHL career, although he hasn’t done so since the 2019-20 season.
While Dermott is left-handed, he has played on both sides of the blue line at times during his NHL career. This versatility is very valuable, especially near the bottom of the defensive depth chart.
The Oilers lost Vincent Desharnais and Philip Broberg from last year’s team and thus have some defensive depth to replenish. Dermott, with his versatility, relatively young age, and skating ability, is an intriguing and low-risk option.
Bringing Dermott to training camp for a professional tryout would allow the Oilers to get a close look at his play before committing any salary cap space.
The blueliner has another connection to the Oilers: He was a teammate of Connor McDavid’s in the OHL with the Erie Otters. That familiarity could help Dermott adjust to his new team.
