The Edmonton Oilers, who underwent a series of major changes during the offseason under the leadership of general manager Stan Bowman, are in the full swing of Training Camp as they prepare for the upcoming 2026-27 NHL season.
However, the top worry for any NHL club during Camp is the chance of an injury to a key player occurring.
The New Jersey Devils have already found that out the hard way after forward Nick Bjugstad suffered a torn left pectoral muscle and will miss the next several months. And now, the Oilers are praying they haven’t suffered the same fate with a key veteran forward of their own.
The Edmonton Oilers Lost Forward Jason Dickinson To Injury On Friday
During Friday’s skate, Oilers veteran forward Jason Dickinson was shaken up and left the ice slowly, banging his stick against the glass in frustration.
Oilers Insider Ryan Rishaug, who posted the initial video of Dickinson leaving the ice in frustration, asked Edmonton head coach Mike Babcock about his status, only for the veteran bench boss to say his potential absence would create a chance for another player to fill the void.
“You saw that too, hey?” he said. “How would I say this… is when something goes wrong, someone else gets a chance. We’re trying to create depth anyway, so who’s getting that chance?”
However, the good news is that it appears as though Dickinson isn’t expected to miss any time.
“Just to follow up based on your answer, is Dickinson potentially missing time?” asked Rishaug.
“I don’t think so,” said Babcock. “We knew he wasn’t scrimmaging today. We knew that before. We knew Ekholm wasn’t scrimmaging today, we’re just monitoring that.”
The Oilers can ill afford to lose one of their key penalty killers heading into this crucial campaign – not only the first under Babcock as head coach, but the first of two years that star captain Connor McDavid is under contract.
Jason Dickinson Was Acquired In A Trade With The Chicago Blackhawks And Is Entering His First Full Year In Edmonton
Dickinson was taken in the first round (29th overall) by the Dallas Stars in the 2013 NHL Draft after emerging as a top prospect with the Guelph Storm.
He earned OHL All-Rookie honors, played in the CHL Top Prospects Game and helped Canada win gold at the 2013 World Under-18 Championship. He later helped Guelph win the OHL title before signing with Dallas.
Dickinson made his NHL debut in April 2016 and scored his first NHL goal in the same game. After six seasons with Dallas, he was traded to the Vancouver Canucks in 2021 and then the Chicago Blackhawks in 2022.
His best offensive season came in 2023-24, when he posted career highs with 22 goals and 35 points while also recording his first NHL hat trick. A wrist injury ended his 2024-25 season after 59 games.
On March 4, 2026, the Blackhawks traded Dickinson and Colton Dach to the Oilers for Andrew Mangiapane and a conditional 2027 first-round pick.
So far in his NHL career, Dickinson has scored 75 goals with 97 assists in 566 games; he’s also tallied seven goals and five assists in 44 career postseason games.
Oilers Lose Key Veteran Forward To Injury In Training Camp