West Notes: McDavid, Dickinson, Martinez, Johnson
In an interview with Sportsnet’s Scott Oake and Louie DeBrusk, Edmonton Oilers’ General Manager Stan Bowman spoke briefly on the upcoming extension negotiations between the Oilers and franchise superstar, Connor McDavid. As expected, Bowman appeared confident and optimistic about getting a deal done with McDavid and fell just short of guaranteeing it’ll happen during the summer.
Bowman admitted that it’s still early to start discussing negotiations, but he stated, “We all know Connor is going to be here, and we’re going to make it happen.” Besides some speculation, there isn’t much information about McDavid’s second contract extension negotiations, given he’s a few months away from being eligible for one. However, it could become a significant media story over the summer if he doesn’t sign a new deal with Edmonton relatively soon, especially considering the intensity of the Canadian media market.
There’s a solid chance that McDavid will break a few salary records in his next deal. Next year’s salary cap would allow McDavid to earn a maximum of $19.1MM on an extension, and could get closer to $21MM should he wait until late June of 2026. The healthy increase in next year’s salary cap should allow McDavid to beat out teammate Leon Draisaitl‘s $14MM salary as the highest AAV in NHL history, and he could tie or break Alex Ovechkin‘s largest total contract record should he earn $15.5MM or more on an eight-year term.
Other notes from the NHL’s Western Conference:
- The Chicago Blackhawks lost a pair of players during yesterday’s loss to the St. Louis Blues, announcing forward Jason Dickinson and defenseman Alec Martinez had each left the game due to injuries. Chicago hasn’t provided any meaningful updates to either player’s status at the time of writing, and both are questionable for today’s afternoon contest against the Philadelphia Flyers. Neither Dickinson nor Martinez played in more than five minutes of yesterday’s contest, and the pair went scoreless.
- Despite not having trade protection in his contract, the Philadelphia Flyers’ General Manager, Daniel Brière, treated veteran defenseman Erik Johnson as if he had a full no-movement clause. According to Luke Fox from Sportsnet, Brière received more interest in Johnson; however, he only wanted to return to the Colorado Avalanche or remain in Philadelphia. Fox quoted Johnson saying, “There’s nowhere else I would be willing to go. I really enjoyed my time in Philly, and love the guys, love the city, love my role there. And I said, if something would work with Colorado, that would be the only way I would be willing to leave.”
Blackhawks Activate Jason Dickinson From Injured Reserve
Blackhawks forward Jason Dickinson will return to the lineup for tonight’s game against the Avalanche, Mark Lazerus of The Athletic reports. The team announced he’s been activated from injured reserve, and since the 23-man roster limit is no longer in effect after the trade deadline, no corresponding transaction is coming.
The 29-year-old has played center for the entire season but will shift to right wing alongside Connor Bedard in his return. He missed just over a month after sustaining a high ankle sprain against the Oilers on Feb. 5. The 4 Nations break limited the number of games he missed to 11.
Once a depth piece for the Stars and Canucks, Dickinson has emerged as a leadership piece for Chicago along with being one of their better two-way forwards. The alternate captain posted a career-high 22 goals and 35 points while playing in all 82 games last season, earning himself a two-year, $8.25MM extension in the process.
This year hasn’t been as fruitful offensively for Dickinson, who’s posted a more conservative 7-9–16 scoring line through 53 games. He’s averaging 15:56 per game, down slightly from last season, and has won 49% of his draws. After finishing 12th in Selke Trophy voting last season, his possession numbers have also dipped. He’s posted a minus-seven rating after logging a plus-four last year (on a team with a -111 goal differential), and his even-strength CF% has dropped by three percentage points from 46.4 to 43.4.
Now, he’ll head to Bedard’s wing while no doubt taking most of the faceoffs in an effort to help boost the 19-year-old’s two-way play. Bedard, Chicago’s most-used forward by a humongous margin at 20:22 per game, has a 43.4% shot attempt share at even strength that’s 0.6% worse than his off-ice share. Dickinson, despite his absence, still leads Blackhawks forwards in blocks (49) and ranks third in hits (93).
Per this morning’s line rushes, Pat Maroon heads to the press box to make way for Dickinson’s return. The veteran grinder had played in 13 straight games, recording 2-3–5 with a minus-one rating and five PIMs.
Blackhawks Place Jason Dickinson On IR, Assign Louis Crevier To AHL
The Blackhawks have made some roster moves heading into tonight’s game against Columbus. The team announced that defenseman Louis Crevier was activated off injured reserve and was assigned to AHL Rockford. The team also placed center Jason Dickinson on IR.
Crevier has spent time with both the Blackhawks and IceHogs this season but the bulk of his time has been spent with Chicago. He has one assist in 11 games with Rockford while suiting up in 23 NHL contests where he has three goals and an assist along with 34 blocks and 47 hits in 17:48 of playing time. He last played on February 1st before suffering a concussion so the assignment to the minors will give him some time to get back to form before likely being recalled for the stretch run.
As for Dickinson, he has been out since suffering a lower-body injury on February 5th so his placement on IR should come as no surprise. Assuming it’s back-dated, he’ll have already missed enough time and thus can be activated as soon as he’s cleared. The 29-year-old hasn’t been able to duplicate his breakout performance from last season which saw him score 22 goals but he has 16 points in 53 games in just under 16 minutes a night of playing time.
With these roster moves, Chicago now has two open roster spots and only the minimum number of healthy forwards available. With that in mind, it wouldn’t be surprising to see a recall or two from them in the near future.
Central Notes: Heinola, Dickinson, Blues, Wilsby
It has been a rough few years for Jets defenseman Ville Heinola. Once considered one of their top prospects, frequent injuries derailed that and now that he’s waiver-blocked, even playing time is hard to come by. Accordingly, Sportsnet’s Jacob Stoller argues that the time is right to move the 23-year-old even though his value is at an all-time low. Heinola has been a frequent healthy scratch in recent weeks and has just one assist in 16 games with Winnipeg when he has played this season. With the Jets atop the standings in the West, it stands to reason that they’re going to look to add some defensive depth before next month’s trade deadline which will push Heinola further down the depth chart and possibly out of a roster spot altogether. Accordingly, perhaps it makes sense to take what they could get for him now over potentially losing him for nothing later on via waivers.
More from the Central:
- Blackhawks center Jason Dickinson will be out a little longer than originally anticipated. Head coach Anders Sorensen told reporters including Ben Pope of the Chicago Sun-Times (Twitter link) that the middleman will likely be out a couple of weeks after the break due to a high left ankle sprain. After a breakout effort that saw him pot 22 goals and 35 points last season, Dickinson has been quieter offensively this year with just seven goals and nine assists through 53 games.
- The Blues could have winger Alexandre Texier back in the lineup on Saturday versus Chicago, relays NHL.com’s Lou Korac (Twitter link). He missed Thursday’s game versus Florida due to illness. It has been a bit of a quiet first year in St. Louis for Texier as he has just nine points in 27 games while averaging a career-low 12:35 per contest so far. Meanwhile, Korac adds that Tyler Tucker’s upper-body injury will keep him out of the lineup for at least one more game. The defenseman has missed the last two games after leaving early on Sunday against Utah. He has two goals and two assists in 19 NHL appearances so far.
- The Predators announced (Twitter link) that defenseman Adam Wilsby was scratched tonight versus Chicago due to an upper-body injury. He’s listed as day-to-day. The 24-year-old has impressed in his first season at the top level, logging over 18 minutes a night through his first 23 outings. Nashville has one more game before the break, that coming on Saturday so it’s possible they rest Wilsby for that one, allowing him two full weeks of recovery time.
Afternoon Notes: Dickinson, Pitlick, Acklin, Philp
The NHL is gearing up for a two-week break for the 4-Nations Face-Off, giving teams plenty to do before many of their players head off for vacation, international play, or minor-league stints. The spree of afternoon news begins in Chicago, where center Jason Dickinson has avoided the worst-case scenario after suffering a scary-looking injury in the team’s Wednesday loss to the Edmonton Oilers. Dickinson took an awkward crash into the boards that trapped his leg under him in the second period. He left the game immediately and was later seen leaving the arena in a walking boot. After testing, Dickinson has been diagnosed with a high ankle sprain and should only miss a couple of games, head coach Anders Sorensen told ESPN.
That’s relieving news after Dicksinon seemed poised to miss the long-term. He hasn’t racked up the points this season, with just seven goals and 16 points in 53 games – but Dickinson has returned to his role as one of Chicago’s top defensive centers. He leads all Blackhawks forwards with 137 minutes of ice time on the penalty-kill, and ranks fourth on the offense in xGA/60 (expected goals-against per-60) per Evolving Hockey. Dickinson’s stout defense has earned him top minutes, centering a top-six line between Teuvo Teravainen and Ilya Mikheyev – the two players above him in xGA/60. His role would have been tough for the Blackhawks to replace for an extended period, but with this news the team can rest assured that he’ll be available when they return from break.
Headed to the West Coast, the AHL’s San Jose Barracuda have signed veteran forward Rem Pitlick to a minor-league contract for the rest of the season. Pitlick hasn’t played this season, but spent last year split between the AHL’s Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins and Rockford IceHogs. He accumulated 57 points in 59 games between the two squads, and got called up for nine appearances with the Chicago Blackhawks – though his stat line read no points, two penalty minutes, and a minus-seven. Those appearances brought Pitlick up to 132 career NHL games over the course of his seven-year pro career. He has totaled 21 goals, 54 points, and 54 penalty minutes. A deal with the Barracuda will mark a chance for him to rediscover his red-hot minor league scoring, and try to show his worth to a San Jose Sharks club that currently ranks dead-last in the NHL.
Across the Conferences, the Pittsburgh Penguins’ President of Business Operations, Kevin Acklin, has stepped down from the squad per the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Acklin had been in the role since 2022, and previously served as a Senior Vice President and General Counsel for the team. In his presedential role, Acklin oversaw the day-to-day business operations, strategic planning, corporate partnerships, and marketing and communication of the Penguins brand. He also supported the development of a live music venue in Pittsburgh’s Lower Hill District, and supported maintenance of the former site of Civic Arena – the Penguins’ home rink from 1967 to 2010.
After stops at each region of the States, we head North for our final update – where the Edmonton Oilers have assigned forward Noah Philp to the AHL for the duration of the 4-Nations break. Philp has been one of Edmonton’s top call-up options this season. He received his NHL debut on October 31st and has since played in 12 games with the Oilers lineup, including their most recent nine outings. Philp has just two assists so far, and is still searching for his first NHL goal. He’s been much more productive in the minors, where his 17 points in 28 games places him fourth in points-per-game (0.60) among players with 20-or-more appearances. Philp will now get a chance to build on those totals while the Oilers are away.
Central Notes: Wilsby, Dickinson, Lundkvist
After another short stay in the American Hockey League, Adam Wilsby is back in the NHL. The Nashville Predators announced they have recalled the young defenseman from their AHL affiliate, the Milwaukee Admirals, before their game tomorrow against the Winnipeg Jets.
Wilsby has already been on the Predators’ roster for an extended stay. The organization recalled him on November 13th before their Pacific Division road trip although he never factored into the lineup. He may make his NHL debut this week, especially considering how Nashville has played recently.
The West Coast road trip went unfavorably, with a 1-2-1 record, and Wilsby’s introduction into the lineup would provide a different look. According to MoneyPuck, the defensive pairing of Jeremy Lauzon and Alexandre Carrier has provided a dismal 40.8% xGoals%, and the Predators would be wise to switch things up with their second pairing.
Other Central notes:
- According to Ben Pope of the Chicago Sun-Times, Jason Dickinson should play for the Chicago Blackhawks tomorrow night despite having a hand injury. Dickinson only skated in a few shifts during the second period of last night’s win against the Florida Panthers but returned for the entire third after taking a puck off the hand. He still finished the game with 17:57 of ice time which ranks the second highest of his season.
- Despite missing this morning’s practice, Dallas Stars defenseman Nils Lundkvist will travel with the team for their upcoming three-game road trip (X Link). Lundkvist sustained a lower-body injury in Dallas’ recent win against the San Jose Sharks. He’s only considered day-to-day meaning he could factor into the team’s game tomorrow night against the Tampa Bay Lightning.
Blackhawks Sign Jason Dickinson To A Two-Year Extension
The Chicago Blackhawks have announced that they’ve signed forward Jason Dickinson to a two-year, $8.5MM contract extension that will keep him with the club through the 2025-26 season. Dickinson was set to become an unrestricted free agent on July 1st but opted to remain with the Blackhawks for the next two seasons. The extension comes just four days after the Blackhawks re-signed forward Nick Foligno to a two-year, $9MM contract extension signalling that the Blackhawks have no intention of dealing either player at this year’s NHL trade deadline.
Dickinson is in the third year of a three-year, $7.95MM contract he signed with the Vancouver Canucks back in August of 2021. He was effectively a salary cap dump by the Canucks when they traded him to Chicago in October 2022 alongside a second-round pick for defenseman Riley Stillman. Dickinson then went on to have a career year in Chicago last season with nine goals and 21 assists in 78 games. This season, Dickinson has shattered his career high in goals as he already has 14 on the year in just 43 games fueled by a shooting percentage of 21.2%, which is more than doubled his career average of 10.2%.
The extension for Dickinson is a nice bit of security for the 28-year-old who looked like a buyout candidate just two summers ago. Dickinson has settled into his role in Chicago and could reach 25 goals this season if he continues shooting at his current pace.
For the Blackhawks, this contract is another short-term overpayment, but it’s not likely to hurt the club long-term. Dickinson is a good pro who can help the younger players in the Blackhawks organization get acclimated to the league while providing physicality and a bit of offense.
Central Notes: Johnson, Dickinson, Wild
According to Ben Pope of the Chicago Sun-Times, forward Tyler Johnson is the most recent injury to the Chicago Blackhawks roster, as he did not travel with the team to take on the St.Louis Blues. Johnson joins a growing list of high-priced members of the organization to go down with injury this season, as Seth Jones, Taylor Hall and Andreas Athanasiou all currently find themselves on the team’s injured reserve.
In the final season of a seven-year, $35MM contract originally signed with the Tampa Bay Lightning back in 2017, Johnson was included in a salary dump move to Chicago, who also acquired a second-round draft selection in the deal, that sent Brent Seabrook‘s contract back the other way. Having his time with the Blackhawks mired by injury concerns, Johnson has only suited up in 114 games for the franchise, scoring 22 goals and 50 points overall.
As Pope mentions in his reporting, with Johnson out tonight against the Blues, young forward Cole Guttman will draw back into the lineup for Chicago. In 14 games this year, Guttman has one goal and three points, only averaging a touch over 11 and a half minutes of ice time per night.
Other notes:
- Sticking in Chicago, in an article today from Charlie Roumeliotis of NBCSN – Chicago, he mentions the growing trade value of Blackhawks’ forward Jason Dickinson leading up to the trade deadline. Being one of a handful of teams trying to stay above the salary cap floor, Chicago would have the ability to retain 50% ($1.325MM) of Dickinson’s contract, making him quite the bargain with 10 goals and 32 games this season.
- Before their game tonight against the Boston Bruins, Michael Russo of The Athletic shared several injury updates surrounding certain members of the Minnesota Wild. Unfortunately for the organization, they will still be without captain Jared Spurgeon, as well as forward Ryan Hartman. With plenty of issues plaguing the team this year, the inability to field a complete roster has led to plenty of inconsistency in Minnesota this season.
Chicago Blackhawks Activate Jason Dickinson
After being acquired from the Vancouver Canucks last night, Jason Dickinson finally has his visa issues sorted out, as the Chicago Blackhawks activated the veteran forward today, sending Buddy Robinson to the AHL to make room.
Dickinson, 27, came in a deal that saw the Canucks give up a second-round pick to get his salary off the books, an asset the Blackhawks will happily take in their scorched-earth rebuild. Signed to a three-year, $7.95MM ($2.65MM AAV) contract in 2021, Dickinson lasted just 62 games with the Canucks before being shipped out of town.
A first-round pick of the Dallas Stars in 2013, the 6’2″ center has never really paid off on his early promise of offensive potential. He has never had more than nine goals in a single season and had just 11 total points last year for the Canucks.
It won’t be surprising to see him eclipse those numbers with the Blackhawks this season, given how much opportunity there likely is for depth players to play a lot, but it’s hard to imagine him being much more than a bottom-six defensive contributor on a contending team.
His current cap hit makes that sort of untenable for most contending clubs, but there is the possibility that the Blackhawks can flip him down the line by retaining some of the remaining salary.
For now, he’ll join a group that is winless through the first two games of the season.
Snapshots: Sprong, Dickinson, Mailloux
After converting his PTO into another NHL contract, Seattle Kraken winger Daniel Sprong isn’t able to be a full participant with the team just yet. According to The Seattle Times’ Kate Shefte, Sprong is dealing with work visa complications and is expected to rejoin the team within the next few days.
This does put Sprong’s availability for Seattle’s season opener on Wednesday in Anaheim in doubt. While Sprong was productive in terms of goals after joining the Kraken at the trade deadline last season, their added depth on the wing puts him squarely in a fourth-line role with everyone healthy. In his stead, Karson Kuhlman is expected to dress against Anaheim if Sprong can’t play.
- Similarly, new Chicago Blackhawks forward Jason Dickinson is also battling visa issues after arriving from Vancouver. The Athletic’s Mark Lazerus reports that Dickinson will miss the team’s first two games of the season at the least, potentially missing three. Dickinson’s absence and his ability to be designated as a non-roster player in the meantime allowed them to claim defenseman Jarred Tinordi off waivers today without making a corresponding roster move.
- While Montreal Canadiens defense prospect Logan Mailloux will start the season on injured reserve, he won’t stay there for long. Sportsnet’s Eric Engels notes to expect Montreal to send him back to the OHL’s London Knights after he returns to practice. Mailloux is expected to play a full season in London after injuries and a lengthy suspension due to his sexual misconduct charge during his draft year in Sweden limited him to 12 games.