The Edmonton Oilers acquired Jason Dickinson and Colton Dach from the Chicago Blackhawks in exchange for a top-12 protected first-round pick and Andrew Mangiapane.
The Chicago Blackhawks and Edmonton Oilers conducted their second trade together this week.
This one sees centers Jason Dickinson and Colton Dach get sent to Edmonton in exchange for left winger Andrew Mangiapane and a top-12 protected 2027 first-round pick.
Edmonton previously acquired Connor Murphy from Chicago for a 2028 second-round pick on Monday.
The first-round pick stands out in this trade of depth forwards, but as the Oilers try to upgrade their roster, a couple of factors seem to explain that high of a pick being included.
First, Chicago is retaining 50 percent of Dickinson's salary. The pending UFA earns $4.25 million against the salary cap. That trickles down to $2.125 million for Edmonton, which also placed Curtis Lazar on long-term injured reserve.
Dickinson has six goals and seven assists for 13 points in 47 games this season. Two seasons ago, he recorded a career-high 22 goals and 35 points in 82 games. He also ranked fourth on the Hawks in shorthanded time on ice per game this season, at 2:13, making him another penalty-kill option for Edmonton.
With the pick being top-12 protected, the Oilers will still have a chance to draft a high-quality player if they somehow stumble next season.
The Oilers also aren't just receiving a 30-year-old bottom-six center, who can play on the wing as well. They also get 23-year-old Dach, although he's still a project. Chicago selected the center 62nd in the 2021 draft, and he has played parts of two seasons in the NHL.
That includes 53 games this season for the Blackhawks. Dach has three goals and nine points and has averaged 11:41 of ice time this year. His 189 hits led the Blackhawks.
The final key factor is Mangiapane.
For weeks now, Edmonton had made it obvious it was looking to move on from Mangiapane.
The Oilers signed Mangiapane in the off-season to a two-year contract at $3.6 million per season, but that acquisition hasn't panned out the way both parties would've hoped.
Andrew Mangiapane (Perry Nelson-Imagn Images)In 52 games this year, the 29-year-old has just seven goals and seven assists for 14 points. With that, he has a team- and career-low minus-19 rating and 12:36 of average ice time.
It got to the point where the Oilers waived Mangiapane, and no team claimed him. He played one game for the AHL's Bakersfield Condors as a result.
Blackhawks GM Kyle Davidson took advantage of Mangiapane's situation with the Oilers and got more in return than some may have anticipated.
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