Jason Dickinson left Edmonton Oilers practice early Friday with an apparent injury, TSN’s Ryan Rishaug reported, adding a fresh concern to a training camp that had otherwise been dominated by new coach Mike Babcock’s first look at his lineup.
Rishaug, on site for the session, wrote on social media: “Not a great sign at Oilers skate. Jason Dickinson left with an injury.” The Oilers had not issued a statement on Dickinson’s status as of Friday afternoon, and the severity of the injury was not confirmed.
Dickinson had been skating on Edmonton’s projected third line through the opening days of camp. He played through a fractured fibula suffered blocking a shot against San Jose late last season, finishing out the playoffs on the injury, and said this summer the bone had healed on its own. Whether Friday’s issue is related to that injury or something new was not immediately known.
The scare adds to an already thin camp roster. In a statement issued in late August, the Oilers said goaltender Frederik Andersen and forward Matt Savoie are working back from offseason training injuries, while forward Mattias Janmark and defenceman Alec Regula are recovering from medical procedures performed after last season. The team has not given a target return date for any of the four, saying only that updates would come “when appropriate.”
Babcock, hired this offseason to replace Kris Knoblauch after Edmonton’s playoff exit, opened camp this week with his first on-ice look at the roster. Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl stayed together on the top line, flanked by Vasily Podkolzin rather than Zach Hyman, according to consistent reporting from Daily Hive and Yardbarker. Hyman moved to a second line with Ryan Nugent-Hopkins and newcomer Isaac Howard, giving the rookie forward a look alongside two established NHL regulars. Dickinson centred a third line with Trent Frederic and Kasperi Kapanen, while offseason additions Mathieu Joseph, Colton Dach and Alex Formenton rounded out a projected fourth trio.
On defence, Babcock paired free-agent signee Ryan Shea, who signed a five-year contract with Edmonton this summer, alongside Evan Bouchard on the top pairing, a break from Bouchard’s longtime partnership with Mattias Ekholm. Jake Walman and Connor Murphy made up a second pairing, while Ekholm skated with Shakir Mukhamadullin on the third. None of the combinations are expected to be final before the preseason begins.
The lineup shuffle came in the same week Bouchard and Hyman were named Edmonton’s alternate captains, filling the leadership vacancy left by Darnell Nurse’s departure from the organization.
Edmonton opens its four-game preseason slate Saturday against the Winnipeg Jets at Rogers Place, followed by a rematch in Winnipeg on Sept. 22, a road game in Vancouver on Sept. 24 and a home date with Calgary on Sept. 26, ahead of the regular-season opener against the Canucks on Sept. 29.
More clarity on Dickinson, and on the rest of Edmonton’s injured group, is expected to emerge as camp moves toward that exhibition opener.
