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.
Days ago, colleague Kurt Leavins brought up Dermott as a possible target in his popular Sunday column 9 Things:
- 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.
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:
- Returnees: Evan Bouchard, Mattias Ekholm, Brett Kulak, Darnell Nurse, Troy Stecher
- Off-season acquisitions: Joshua Brown, Connor Carrick, Ty Emberson
- AHL vets: Cam Dineen, Ben Gleason, Noah Hoefenmayer, Philip Kemp, Maximus Wanner
- Junior age: Beau Akey
- PTO: Travis Dermott?
…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.
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2024 Cult of Hockey prospect rankings
- Goalies: #8 Olivier Rodrique | #14 Eemil Vinni
- D-men: #3 Beau Akey | #4 Maximus Wanner |#11 Philip Kemp | #15 Nikita Yevseyev
- Centres:#2 Sam O’Reilly | #5 Noah Philp |#10 Jayden Grubbe
- Wingers: #6 Roby Jarventie | #7 Raphael Lavoie | #9 Maxim Berezhkin | #12 Shane LaChance | #13 Matvey Petrov
- Introduction + long shots #s 26-33 | Depth prospects #21-25 | Depth prospects #16-20
- Background: Edmonton Oilers prospect pool takes a beating from NHL draft insiders
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