For the second time this week, Edmonton Oilers GM Stan Bowman went back to the team he spent a dozen years running, to do business. After acquiring defenceman Connor Murphy on Monday, this time the Oilers have nabbed centre Jason Dickinson from the Chicago Blackhawks. In the process, they pick up young talent Colton Dach, while moving on from forward Andrew Mangiapane.
Dickinson isn’t the dream 3C, but can help the Oilers live Cup dream
Dickinson probably isn’t everyone’s idea of a strong third-line centre. Most of the time, you think of someone like Boone Jenner, or in more 2020’s terms, Shane Wright. He’s unquestionably an elite fourth-line centre, but not many people outside of Chicago would know his true value.
At a glance, that’s a decent score to have. 69 percent, among other things, means Dickinson is in the top third of players in the NHL. Sure he’s not going to score much, but offence isn’t what the Oilers need much more of right now. However, looking below that surface number is where you see Dickinson’s true value.
Not only is Dickinson managing stellar defensive numbers at even-strength, he’s doing it against other teams’ elite players. There’s almost nothing being allowed net-front, or on the entire right side of the rink. Given the Oilers have conceded goals like this one last night against Ottawa, Dickinson may actually be a huge get.
Overall, this is a pretty sturdy pickup. We can dream about Jason Robertson and Vinnie Trocheck all we want, but glamorous moves likely aren’t coming right now. It’s all about filling needs that the Oilers have, and Dickinson, along with Murphy from the week’s earlier deal, should do that admirably.
A heavy-hitting local kid who still has room to grow as a player
Though Dickinson is clearly the headliner in this deal, he wasn’t the lone piece the Oilers acquired. They also pick up St. Albert product Colton Dach in the process. Dach comes from a strong hockey family, with his brother Kirby having once been a Blackhawk and currently a Montreal Canadien. Dach’s sister, Callie, currently plays for the NAIT Ooks of the Alberta Colleges Athletic Conference. The Dach name in Edmonton hockey circles might be approaching Comrie levels of talented.
Colton hasn’t made as much of a name for himself in the NHL as Kirby has, though to be fair, Kirby is two years older and was a top-five pick in the 2019 NHL Draft, compared to Colton’s selection at 62nd overall (second round) in 2021. Colton is only 23 years old, and still has a couple of seasons before hitting his prime. It certainly helps that, despite not being a great offensive player, he makes his presence felt regardless.
Physicality is also something the Oilers haven’t had quite enough of this season. In the past couple years, you could count on guys like Evander Kane, Corey Perry, and Zach Hyman to bring the heavy. Only Hyman remains, and his focus this season has shifted much more towards scoring than anything. This season, the Oilers’ leading hitters have been Vasily Podkolzin (181) and Trent Frederic (152!). Between those two and Hyman, the only forward who is not injured or traded is Kasperi Kapanen, with 43.
Dach will bring an edge the Oilers need more of, given those stats. All the while he’ll have a chance to flourish with a team renowned for its offence. He may seem like not much right now, but there’s far more potential upside than downside to acquiring Dach.
The Andrew Mangiapane era was a certified trainwreck
Anyone with a right mind knew that 2021–22 Calgary Flames Mangiapane wasn’t going to walk through the Oilers sliding doors. Outside of that one year, Mangiapane has not scored more than 18 in a single season. However, Mangiapane was a consistent depth scorer over the previous six seasons, with at least 14 goals each time. The hope was that the Oilers could fill the void left by, say, Corey Perry in the offence category.
What transpired instead was a season full of limited production, bouncing up and down the lineup, and healthy scratches. It ended unceremoniously with Mangiapane’s recent waiving, and demotion to the AHL. His time as an Oiler results in 52 games played, and just seven goals and seven assists, for 14 points. For context, Mangiapane put up 8–5–13 in just 44 games in his rookie season with the Flames (2018–19).
Whether it was a matter of him not being a fit here or the coaching staff messing up his deployment, this had to come to a conclusion sooner rather than later. It costs a first-round pick to have him be part of the deal, but at least the pick is top-12 protected. Should the 2026–27 Oilers suffer the same fate as the 2025–26 Florida Panthers, at least they would have a high pick available to add to the prospect pool with.
For now, moving on from him was for the best. Getting assets back was actually decent work, if you look at it from where the grass is greener. Also, a word of advice to any future Oiler wanting to don the number 88: It might be cursed.
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