The Edmonton Oilers have officially picked up experienced center Jason Dickinson and young forward Colton Dach from the Chicago Blackhawks. Head coach Kris Knoblauch now has more options to strengthen the team’s center positions.
To make the trade financially possible, Edmonton traded winger Andrew Mangiapane along with a first-round pick for 2027 back to Chicago.
General Manager Stan Bowman clearly felt he had to improve a lower-level group that hasn’t been very steady. However, many people are surprised by the cost of this deal.
Giving away a first-round pick for a backup center and a player who isn’t fully established in the professional league is a huge risk based on how well the team is working together right now.
Dickinson is known for being reliable defensively, but he hasn’t been scoring much lately. This season, in 47 games, he only scored 6 goals and got 13 points while playing on the third line.
He is not expected to be a big scorer, but the Oilers are hoping his experience and ability to kill penalties will make up for his lack of goals.
Trade details, per sources:
To #LetsGoOilers:
C Jason Dickinson (50% retained)
F Colton DachTo #Blackhawks:
F Andrew Mangiapane
2027 1st Round PickCondition: 1st round pick is Top 12 protected.
— Frank Seravalli (@frank_seravalli) March 5, 2026
Adding Colton Dach to the team is an interesting move. The 6-foot-4 forward is big and tough, with 184 hits in 52 games for the Blackhawks this season. At 23 years old, he is seen as a project for Knoblauch that could help win now, even though he has only scored 3 goals this season.
Getting rid of Mangiapane was necessary for financial reasons. The winger often went without scoring during his brief time in Edmonton, finishing with a -19 rating in 52 games.
His salary of $3.6 million had to go to fit Dickinson’s $4.25 million contract, even though Chicago is covering half of that amount.
A big cost for backup help
Critics will highlight the first-round pick as a major issue. In a year when draft picks are very important, trading a valuable asset for a 30-year-old checking center seems quite desperate.
It shows a locker room that realizes they have a great chance to win the championship, but they worry they might not be tough enough to go far in the playoffs without more determination.
Edmonton is counting on Dickinson’s 49.5% success rate at face-offs to help them in critical moments.
This is a unique upgrade, but if that 2027 draft pick becomes a star while the Oilers don’t succeed, people will look back at this trade for the wrong reasons.
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