Jason Dickinson is expected to miss the start of the Edmonton Oilers season after re-aggravating the same foot injury that bothered him during last year's playoffs.
Add him to the list.
As everyone has heard, Matt Savoie is out after suffering an injury during offseason training. Mattias Janmark is recovering from a medical procedure, Frederik Andersen was injured during offseason training as well, and Alec Regula has been working his way back from a procedure shortly after last season ended.
Now Dickinson, who Edmonton signed to a five-year contract worth $4 million per season in June, is expected to join them on the sidelines.
“It's the same thing (from playoffs). He tweaked it,” Mike Babcock said Friday. “I thought it was coming good, but yesterday was a tough day.”
Dickinson originally left practice on Sept. 18 as he hobbled off the ice. He had been expected to play in Edmonton's bottom six this season after finishing last year with seven goals and 17 points in 64 games between the Chicago Blackhawks and Oilers.
But now, the Oilers haven't even played a regular-season game, and they're already going through their depth chart—possibly Bakersfield's too—circling names that could be of use.
Babcock has spent training camp moving players around because some of the forwards expected to be in his lineup simply aren't available, and Dickinson, however unexpectedly, gives him another spot to account for before opening night.
It's also tough on a group that spent last season dealing with injuries when it mattered most. Edmonton went into the playoffs without a healthy roster and eventually lost in the first round with four injured centres. Training camp was supposed to give this group time to get everybody on the same page before the season started.
Clattenburg said during rookie camp that the Oilers are “just looking for the next guy up,” and well, that time has arrived. Edmonton needs players who can take the available minutes and keep the lineup functioning while Savoie, Janmark and Dickinson work their way back, and the work's not over when they return.
What happens if somebody takes Dickinson's minutes and plays well? What happens if Marjala gets into the lineup and produces well above what's expected of him? What happens if Dach settles into a role at centre or another young forward spends several weeks doing exactly what Babcock asks of him?
At some point, telling a player he was only keeping the seat warm becomes difficult when he's spent weeks earning it.
That's part of what these injuries could do to Edmonton's lineup. The Oilers know where Dickinson fits when he's healthy, and a five-year, $20-million contract gives a pretty good indication of how much they expect to use him. Savoie also has a place in the lineup once he's cleared, but the guys replacing them still have games to play.
Someone could spend the first month blocking shots, forechecking, killing penalties and doing everything asked of him, then watch a player return and take those minutes back. That's the hard part of having NHL depth, especially for players who have spent years trying to get the opportunity in the first place.
Right now, Babcock would probably like to have that problem.
Dickinson's injury leaves another opening in the bottom six just when Edmonton has been looking for their "next guy up." Right now, a first call-up in Bakersfield is looking like a pretty desirable position to be in, and Edmonton's going to need a few of them.
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