Oilers sign former Coyotes defender to PTO

The Edmonton Oilers have made a ton of moves this summer. Recently, these moves have involved their defensive unit. The Oilers traded Cody Ceci to the San Jose Sharks not long ago to clear additional cap space. They also lost Philip Broberg to the St. Louis Blues. After these moves, Edmonton sought to replenish its depth. And they’ve done so with Travis Dermott.

Dermott has signed a professional tryout agreement with the Oilers, the team announced on Friday. Dermott is an experienced defenseman that Edmonton could rely on. The Newmarket, Ontario native has played over 300 games in the NHL across seven seasons in the league.

Dermott spent this past season with the now-inactive Arizona Coyotes. He skated in 50 games, scoring two goals and seven points while averaging more than 17 minutes a game. The Coyotes failed to make the Stanley Cup Playoffs. And the Utah Hockey Club elected not to re-sign the 27-year-old in NHL Free Agency.

Travis Dermott could be a sneaky good add for the Oilers

Travis Dermott is certainly far from a star-level talent in the NHL. However, there is some potential upside here for the Oilers. Dermott is a former second-round pick of the Toronto Maple Leafs from the 2015 NHL Draft. Dermott made his debut during the 2017-18 campaign, but only played 37 games that year.

The Newmarket native was unable to make a true impact with the Maple Leafs. And in 2022, he was traded to the Vancouver Canucks. Vancouver sent Toronto a 2022 third-round pick in exchange for the defenseman. However, Dermott only spent parts of two seasons with the Canucks before moving on. In fact, he played just 11 games in his final year in Western Canada.

Dermott signed a one-year, two-way contract with the Coyotes last summer. With the Coyotes, he found a more expanded role. As mentioned, he averaged more than 17 minutes a game. This marked the first time since 2019-20 that he averaged more than 15 minutes a night for any team.

The Oilers have a need on defense. Edmonton’s bottom pairing currently projects to be Brett Kulak and Troy Stetcher, according to Daily Faceoff. Additionally, Ty Emberson is projected to slot in as the second-pairing right defenseman. Dermott has a chance to claim one of these two spots should he perform well in training camp.

Dermott could very well make the Oilers roster this fall. If he does, he could end up being a sneaky good addition for the defending Western Conference champions. The Oilers begin their quest for the Stanley Cup on October 9 against the Winnipeg Jets.

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