The Oilers have placed defenceman Travis Dermott on waivers, the team announced on Thursday. This move comes one day after Edmonton claimed another defender, Alec Regula, from the Boston Bruins.
Invited to training camp on a professional tryout, Dermott inked a one-year, two-way deal with the Oilers back in October. He played effectively during the pre-season and beat out Josh Brown for a roster spot, a somewhat unexpected result given the latter was handed a three-year, $3 million contract in the summer.
Dermott has appeared in 10 games for the Oilers this season and hasn’t registered a point. He’s logged an average of 13:05 per game and has an on-ice goal differential of 2-to-5 at even-strength. Though he’s left-handed, Dermott has played mostly on his off-side with Darnell Nurse this season.
The last time Dermott suited up was during Edmonton’s three-game road trip through Atlantic Canada back in mid-November. He played against the Toronto Maple Leafs, Montreal Canadiens, and Ottawa Senators, but hasn’t played since. Right-handed veteran Troy Stecher has been Nurse’s most common defensive partner this season and Brett Kulak has also played very effectively on his off-side with Nurse.
The newly-acquired Regula hasn’t played this season because of a knee injury suffered in the summer, so this is a player the Oilers will need to bring along slowly. Selected in the third round of the 2018 draft, the big, right-handed defender led the American Hockey League in plus-minus in 2023-24 playing with the Providence Bruins.
The Bakersfield Condors, Edmonton’s AHL affiliate, are certainly hoping that Dermott clears through waivers. The Oilers have traded a pair of AHL defenders this season, Ben Gleason and Noel Hoefenmayer, and Dermott would give the farm club a top-pairing option with plenty of experience.
Dermott was selected by the Maple Leafs in the second round of the 2015 draft from the Erie Otters. He spent two seasons with the Toronto Marlies of the AHL and helped the team win the Calder Cup in 2017-18. Dermott played in 251 games with the Leafs between 2017-18 and 2021-22 and was traded to the Vancouver Canucks in March of 2022. He played parts of two seasons with Vancouver and then signed with the Arizona Coyotes for 2023-24. All told, the 27-year-old has 62 points over 339 NHL games.
