The Edmonton Oilers never did figure out what to do with speedy winger Jason Chimera, so rather than take the time to see where he might find a fit, they traded him to the Phoenix Coyotes in December of 2004 for two draft picks that turned into a bunch of nothing – second-rounder Jeff Paukovich and fourth-rounder Liam Reddox. Chimera, who was 24 and had only 130 NHL games on his resume when GM Kevin Lowe sent him away, now has more than 1,100 games under his belt.
When the Oilers drafted Chimera from the Medicine Hat Tigers in 1997, they did so because he could skate. The Edmonton kid weighed 150 pounds soaking wet, but mercy could he motor. By the time Chimera played his first full season with the Oilers, 2002-03, he was six-foot-three and 225 pounds, bringing a physical dimension he’d never had in junior. Chimera could still wheel, and he scored 14 goals his first season playing less than 11 minutes a night, but after he dipped to four goals the next season, it was adios.

Jason Chimera

Left Wing — shoots L
Born May 2nd, 1979 — Edmonton, ALTA
Height 6.03 — Weight 215 [191 cm/98 kg]
Drafted by Edmonton Oilers
Round 5 #121 overall 1997 NHL Entry Draft

BY THE NUMBERS

Season
Age
Tm
GP
G
A
PTS
+/-
PIM
S
S%
ATOI
2000-01
21
EDM
1
0
0
0
0
0
0
6:58
2001-02
22
EDM
3
1
0
1
-3
0
3
33.3
12:44
2002-03
23
EDM
66
14
9
23
-2
36
90
15.6
10:46
2003-04
24
EDM
60
4
8
12
-1
57
79
5.1
10:07
2005-06
26
CBJ
80
17
13
30
-10
95
127
13.4
12:41
2006-07
27
CBJ
82
15
21
36
2
91
151
9.9
15:22
2007-08
28
CBJ
81
14
17
31
-5
98
198
7.1
17:30
2008-09
29
CBJ
49
8
14
22
8
41
115
7.0
16:15
2009-10
30
TOT
78
15
19
34
-1
98
160
9.4
13:42
2009-10
30
CBJ
39
8
9
17
-7
47
92
8.7
14:47
2009-10
30
WSH
39
7
10
17
6
51
68
10.3
12:36
2010-11
31
WSH
81
10
16
26
-10
64
162
6.2
13:15
2011-12
32
WSH
82
20
19
39
4
78
205
9.8
14:26
2012-13
33
WSH
47
3
11
14
-5
48
92
3.3
12:40
2013-14
34
WSH
82
15
27
42
4
36
167
9.0
15:25
2014-15
35
WSH
77
7
12
19
-1
51
96
7.3
12:56
2015-16
36
WSH
82
20
20
40
0
22
165
12.1
14:03
2016-17
37
NYI
82
20
13
33
1
40
121
16.5
13:04
2017-18
38
TOT
71
3
10
13
-12
37
76
3.9
10:30
2017-18
38
NYI
58
2
9
11
-11
35
70
2.9
11:13
2017-18
38
ANA
13
1
1
2
-1
2
6
16.7
7:18
7 yrs
WSH
490
82
115
197
-2
350
955
8.6
13:47
5 yrs
CBJ
331
62
74
136
-12
372
683
9.1
15:18
4 yrs
EDM
130
19
17
36
-6
93
172
11.0
10:29
2 yrs
NYI
140
22
22
44
-10
75
191
11.5
12:18
1 yr
ANA
13
1
1
2
-1
2
6
16.7
7:18
Career
1104
186
229
415
-31
892
2007
9.3
13:35

PLAYOFFS

Season
Age
Tm
GP
G
A
PTS
+/-
PIM
S
S%
TOI
ATOI
2002-03
23
EDM
2
0
2
2
2
0
3
0.0
22
10:55
2008-09
29
CBJ
4
0
1
1
0
2
11
0.0
53
13:21
2009-10
30
WSH
7
1
2
3
2
2
15
6.7
82
11:46
2010-11
31
WSH
9
2
2
4
-3
2
15
13.3
116
12:53
2011-12
32
WSH
14
4
3
7
5
6
28
14.3
192
13:42
2012-13
33
WSH
7
1
2
3
1
4
15
6.7
96
13:40
2014-15
35
WSH
14
3
4
7
4
4
35
8.6
218
15:36
2015-16
36
WSH
12
1
1
2
-1
12
17
5.9
156
13:00
Career
69
12
17
29
10
32
139
8.6
935
13:33

WITH THE OILERS

“I think they traded me because they didn’t know what kind of player I’d become,” said Chimera, who paid his dues with the Oilers by spending three seasons in the AHL with Hamilton. “The first year with the Oilers, I had 14 goals. The next, I didn’t play so much. You don’t think you’re going to get traded, then all of a sudden on the draft floor, they’re calling me and I’m thinking, ‘What the heck?’ ” As I recall, “What the heck” wasn’t the exact phrase, but close enough. The trade stung Chimera at the time.
Coach Craig MacTavish had Ryan Smyth, Raffi Torres, Ethan Moreau – all 20-goal men in 2003-04 – and Brad Isbister on the left side. Every one of them had more pedigree than Chimera, who hadn’t established what his calling card was, outside of his ability to get wherever he was going in a hurry. So, off Chimera went to Phoenix – he never played with the Coyotes because of the NHL lockout and was traded to the Columbus Blue Jackets for the 2005-06 season. That’s where Chimera established himself.

DOWN THE ROAD

Mar 21, 2018; Calgary, Alberta, CAN; Anaheim Ducks left wing Jason Chimera (20) warms up against the Calgary Flames at Scotiabank Saddledome. Mandatory Credit: Candice Ward-USA TODAY Sports
Chimera’s combination of size and speed served him well in Columbus, where he jumped up in ice time from averaging just over 10 minutes a game with the Oilers to 12:41 and 15:22 in his first two seasons with the Jackets under Gerard Gallant. Chimera could check and kill penalties because he could skate. He could bang and he possessed decent enough hands that he scored 17, 15 and 14 goals in this first three seasons in Ohio while playing behind David Vyborny and Rick Nash on the left side.
After parts of five seasons with the Jackets, Chimera would spent parts of seven seasons in Washington, where he twice scored 20 goals and had 40-or-more points for the Capitals, before stops with the New York Islanders and Anaheim Ducks. In the decade that made up the sweet spot of his career, 2005-06 through 2015-16, Chimera was a reliable third-line player who could get you 15-20 goals and 30-40 points playing in the bottom six. Guys like that don’t grow on trees. Chimera became exactly the kind of player the Oilers could have used during the Decade of Darkness.
This series of various Top 10 lists will focus on the post-1990 Oilers – the players who haven’t played on a Stanley Cup winner in Edmonton.

Previously in this Series: