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The Jason Dickinson trade was exactly what the Oilers needed ahead of the trade deadline
Edmonton Oilers Jason Dickinson
Photo credit: Walter Tychnowicz-Imagn Images
Ryley Delaney
Apr 22, 2026, 10:30 EDTUpdated: Apr 22, 2026, 12:15 EDT
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The Edmonton Oilers made two trades before the 2026 trade deadline. It’s already starting to pay off.
Both of those trades were with the Chicago Blackhawks. On March 2nd, they sent a second-round pick for right-shot defenceman Connor Murphy at 50 per cent retention. The trade was lauded at the time, and deservingly so.
The other one, not so much. Two days later, the Oilers sent Andrew Mangiapane and a 2027 protected first-round pick for soon-to-be unrestricted free agent Jason Dickinson, and a hometown forward, Colton Dach. At the time, this trade was seen by some as a big overpay, and it didn’t help when Oilers+ released behind-the-scenes footage of general manager Stan Bowman saying no one else would offer a first.
That said, the trade made sense at the time, and with Dickinson’s performance in Game 1 on Monday night, it’s looking like a steal.

The factors of the trade

There are four reasons why the Oilers needed to give up a first in this trade. The fact they were getting a third-line shut down centre, the retention involved, the addition of Dach, and not needing to retain Mangiapane’s salary. If the trade only included one of those factors, yeah, it would be an overpay. But let’s start with Dickinson.
Entering March 6th’s game against the Carolina Hurricanes, the Oilers had given up 147 five-on-five goals, the second most in the National Hockey League. That was more than the Vancouver Canucks at the time, and only behind the Toronto Maple Leafs’ 159 goals during five-on-five play.
After the pair of trades, the Oilers allowed 41 goals during five-on-five action, which sat as the 15th-best in the league. Not great, but definitely an improvement. In terms of expected goals against, they went from the 10th-most from the start of the season until the March 6th game, to eighth-best to end the season during five-on-five play.
That wasn’t all because of Dickinson and Murphy, of course. The Oilers as whole started to defend better and some saves from Connor Ingram, who had emerged as the starter. Dickinson certainly helped.
There’s also the retention to think about. Any time a selling team retains, it’ll cost the team trading for the player extra. That’s what makes the Murphy trade so good, and by getting 50 per cent retention on Dickinson’s deal, the Oilers were able to keep Samanski on their roster.
On the flip side, when a contending team needs to shred salary, a pick usually goes back the other way with the possibility for retention as well. In this trade, the Oilers were able to off-load Mangiapane’s $3.6 million cap hit. That’s important, as Mangiapane is under contract for the 2026-27 season as well. Yes, the signing didn’t work out, but at least they rectified it in the end.
As for Dach, the old saying goes that the more that a team hits, the more that a team chases the game. Watching the Florida Panthers in the past two Stanley Cup Finals, that’s not entirely true. Last season, Dach laid 219 hits, good enough for 14th in the league. That doesn’t sound like a lot, but Dach only played 61 games in 2025-26.
A team needs to be physical in the postseason, and Dach has done just that, finishing with seven hits in Game 1. There’s no way to quantify a big hit with statistics, but it gets fans involved and wears down the other team. 
Not just that, but Dach also has some offensive upside, scoring two goals and four points in the eight regular season games he played. When he was on the ice during five-on-five action, the Oilers had 74.9 percent of the expected goal share.
Then you factor in what they gave up, a top-12 protected first round pick. In three of the last four seasons, the Oilers have made the Western Conference Finals three times. Barring a massive disappointing season next season, there’s a strong chance that the first rounder will be a bottom four pick in the first round.
Teams can find NHL players around that spot, perhaps even star NHL players, but the latter is unlikely. The only way moving their 2027 first hurts the Oilers is because it’s an asset they lose for whatever move they make ahead of next season’s trade deadline. 
When the trade is framed like that, the Oilers didn’t give up a whole lot, especially when comparing it to other trades around the league ahead of the deadline. Dickinson, Dach, and Murphy were exactly what the Oilers needed at the deadline, and it’s already starting to payoff in the postseason.
Ryley Delaney is a Nation Network writer for Oilersnation, FlamesNation, and Blue Jays Nation. Follow her on Twitter @Ryley__Delaney.

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