Mike Babcock confirms a recurring injury will likely sideline Jason Dickinson for the season opener, opening the door for roster hopefuls to claim a spot.
Jason Dickinson has hit a setback in his recovery and won't play in Edmonton's game tomorrow, with head coach Mike Babcock indicating he's now unlikely to be ready for opening night. No clear timeline has been given for his return, though the situation sounds more short-term than long-term.
"It's the same thing from the playoffs. He tweaked it. Thought it was coming good, but yesterday was a tough day," Babcock said of the recurring issue.
Babcock offered what he knew, but didn't know much. He admitted he didn't fully grasp the medical details, given the uncertainty surrounding Dickinson's recovery. "I don't really know what's going on there. I know that he's had a setback. A huge part of it is the physical part — that's one thing. The mental part's another. When you keep having these setbacks, it's hard," he said.
Babcock also pointed to the pace of play as a factor working against Dickinson's return. "I don't know if you noticed, they're flying out there, and so if you can't fly, it's hard to play. So someone else gets an opportunity, and let's see who it is," he added, suggesting a roster spot could open up as a result.
Owen Michaels remained with the main roster, despite the fact the Oilers cut several key names from their training camp.
The Oilers have placed Josh Brown, Riley Stillman and Eduards Tralmaks on waivers for the purpose of assignment while Tomas Cibulka, Connor Clattenburg, Quinn Hutson, Viljami Marjala, William Nicholl, Aku Raty & Connor Ungar have been loaned to the Bakersfield Condors of the AHL.
The Oilers also returned Rudolfs Berzkalns, Caden Harvey, David Lewandowski and Andrew Robinson to their junior clubs.
With no firm date on Dickinson's return, the Oilers will likely need to lean on depth options as the season begins.
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