The Jason Dickinson trade was exactly what the Oilers needed ahead of the trade deadline |
The Edmonton Oilers made two trades before the 2026 trade deadline. It’s already starting to pay off.
Both of those trades were with the Chicago Blackhawks. On March 2nd, they sent a second-round pick for right-shot defenceman Connor Murphy at 50 per cent retention. The trade was lauded at the time, and deservingly so.
The other one, not so much. Two days later, the Oilers sent Andrew Mangiapane and a 2027 protected first-round pick for soon-to-be unrestricted free agent Jason Dickinson, and a hometown forward, Colton Dach. At the time, this trade was seen by some as a big overpay, and it didn’t help when Oilers released behind-the-scenes footage of general manager Stan Bowman saying no one else would offer a first.
That said, the trade made sense at the time, and with Dickinson’s performance in Game 1 on Monday night, it’s looking like a steal.
The factors of the trade
There are four reasons why the Oilers needed to give up a first in this trade. The fact they were getting a third-line shut down centre, the retention involved, the addition of Dach, and not needing to retain Mangiapane’s salary. If the trade only included one of those factors, yeah, it would be an overpay. But let’s start with Dickinson.
Entering March 6th’s game against the Carolina Hurricanes, the........