September 10, 2024 by Ryan Lotsberg

According to multiple reports, Travis Dermott will be signing a PTO with the Edmonton Oilers. Edmonton Sports Talk’s Dustin Nielson talked about it on Tuesday’s edition of 2 Guys and a Goalie. Nielson referred to a post from Brendan Escott of Oilers Now from Monday night indicating that Dermott would be signing a PTO with the Oilers, and Tom Gazzola from EST confirmed that to Nielson. Frank Servalli and Mark Spector have since reported the news as well. For what it’s worth, I wrote that I expected this to happen on August 24, 2024 after Bob Stauffer dropped hints that pointed directly at Dermott signing a PTO with the Oilers.

Related: Possible Oilers defence additions

Dermott has 62 points in 329 NHL games with the Toronto Maple Leafs, Vancouver Canucks, and Arizona Coyotes. The 2015 second round pick got into 50 games for the Coyotes last season, and he got seven points. 

Dermott played his junior hockey for the Eerie Otters. He was coached by Oilers head coach Kris Knoblauch while playing for the Otters. He also played with Connor McDavid and Connor Brown with the Otters in the 2013-14 season. Dermott is also a former client of Oilers CEO Jeff Jackson back when Jackson was still an agent.

The Oilers have a split squad game against the Calgary Flames on September 23. There are rules for how many veterans a team must dress for a given NHL preseason game, which include needing to have either played at least 30 NHL games in the previous year or at least 100 NHL games in his career. A first round pick in the most recent draft also counts as an NHL veteran for these purposes. The numbers for goalies are slightly different. They need at least 50 career NHL games or 30 NHL games in the previous season.

Anyway, the Oilers have fifteen forwards, eight defencemen, and two goalies for a total of 25 players that qualify as NHL veterans for preseason games with the addition of Dermott. The Oilers will need at least sixteen veterans to suit up for the split squad game against the Flames. That split squad game will occur early in camp, which means that the top end players are unlikely to be involved. Up to nine of the 25 players with NHL veteran status for preseason games can sit that split squad game out. Dermott’s addition just makes it more likely that the Oilers’ top defencemen won’t have to play in that split squad game.

The 6’0”, 202 lb defenceman only played in eleven games in the 2022-23 season due to a concussion that he suffered in training camp that season. His underlying numbers were not impressive last season, which shouldn’t be surprising after having barely played hockey during the prior season and while playing on a terrible team. He might be more successful on a better team like the Oilers.

Dermott’s biggest strength is his ability to make a first pass. He won’t put up gaudy offensive numbers, but he will help a team exit their own zone efficiently. Dermott is a third pairing defenceman at best these days.

Make no mistake about it though, Dermott will compete for a roster spot out of camp. He shoots left, which puts him behind Mattias Ekholm, Darnell Nurse, and Brett Kulak on the depth chart. If the Oilers coaching staff decides to put Kulak in the top four, a spot on the left side of the third pairing would be open for Dermott. Dermott has played the right side in his career as well. He played on Morgan Reilly’s right side with the Leafs. That puts him in direct competition with Ty Emberson, Troy Stecher, Josh Brown, and Connor Carrick in training camp. Dermott has the advantage of being more versatile than his competitors.

Escott and Seravalli both reported that Dermott will join the team for informal captain’s skates sometime this week.