Oilers expected to sign Dermott tomorrow for this special reason
It appears Travis Dermott has done enough to earn a contract from the Edmonton Oilers.
The Oilers signed Dermott to a professional tryout offer (PTO) in early September. He had some competition heading into training camp but seemed to impress both fans and coaching staff during exhibition play. As a result, there have been several reports that he is expected to sign a contract very shortly.
Expecting #LetsGoOilers to formally sign Travis Dermott to 2-way contract tomorrow. Tomorrow (day 2 for cap purposes) players can be sent down, which would make room for him to be signed & registered.
Was in camp on PTOhttps://t.co/HmjRfMV6iQ
— PuckPedia (@PuckPedia) October 8, 2024
According to PuckPedia and a number of other reports, the Oilers will sign Dermott tomorrow. This allows for them to send him down to the AHL, which makes room for him and allows his deal to be signed and registered. That will be just a paper transaction, as he is expected to begin the season in the NHL.
It didn’t seem that many were giving Dermott much of a shot to crack the roster heading into camp. After all, he appeared in just 50 games with the Arizona Coyotes a season ago and averaged less than 17 minutes in ice time. He’s also a left-handed defenceman who was competing for a spot on a blue line that features Mattias Ekholm, Darnell Nurse, and Brett Kulak.
To Dermott’s credit, he seemed to block out the noise coming from several detractors and appears to have even beaten out Josh Brown for a spot. Brown, 30, appeared to be a lock before camp had begun, having agreed to a three-year, $3 million deal as a free agent this offseason. He wound up being placed on waivers and subsequently assigned to the American Hockey League days ago.
Should the Oilers and Dermott work out a deal, it looks as though they will go with seven defencemen including himself, Ekholm, Nurse, Kulak, Evan Bouchard, Ty Emberson, and Troy Stecher. It’s a much different-looking group after the subtractions of Cody Ceci and Philip Broberg.
The Oilers will look plenty different up front as well, having brought in Jeff Skinner and Viktor Arvidsson, both of whom are expected to see plenty of time in the top six. Thanks in large part to those two additions, the Oilers are considered heavy Stanley Cup favourites heading into the season.
- You might also like:
- Many experts are predicting Oilers to win Stanley Cup in 2025