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Travis Dermott

Wild Claim Travis Dermott, Place Jacob Middleton On LTIR

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The Wild have claimed defenseman Travis Dermott off waivers from the Oilers, per Michael Russo of The Athletic. Defender Jacob Middleton, who sustained a hand injury in last night’s 7-1 loss to the Oilers, landed on long-term injured reserve minutes earlier in a corresponding move, per the team.

It’s no surprise to see Minnesota’s desire to add some defensive depth to the organization, particularly a lefty. They’re now without their top two left-shot options in Middleton and Jonas Brodin (upper body, week-to-week) for quite a bit, and Cameron Crotty, the current No. 7 on the roster, is a right-shot defender with just one NHL game under his belt.

In comes Dermott and his 339 NHL games of experience, although just 10 came in an Edmonton sweater. The soon-to-be 28-year-old didn’t generate much interest on the free-agent market last summer. Instead, he opted for a tryout with the Oilers, which he successfully converted into a one-year, two-way pact at the beginning of the regular season. After posting no points, a -3 rating and being out-attempted 132-111 in his even-strength minutes, he was scratched in nine straight games – including last night’s win over the Wild.

After suiting up for the Coyotes last season, Dermott shouldn’t have many work visa issues. General manager Bill Guerin told Russo he believes he’ll be available for tomorrow’s matinee against the Flyers. Unfortunately, he flew back to Edmonton with his former Oilers teammates last night and will need to make the trek back to Minnesota today.

Regarding Middleton, the veteran took an Evan Bouchard shot to the hand in the first period of last night’s loss and didn’t return. He’s labeled as week-to-week, but as his LTIR placement dictates, the earliest he’s eligible to return is Jan. 7 against the Blues. Whatever fracture he sustained will likely need surgery today, Russo reports.

It’s incredibly tough timing for Middleton, who turns 29 next month. He’s amid the best season of his career by far, leading the NHL with a +22 rating and averaging north of 20 minutes per game for the first time. He has five goals and 13 points in 29 games – assuming he’s available on Jan. 7, he’d still be on pace to record 31 points in about 70 games and break last year’s career-best 25.

Declan Chisholm now stands as the Wild’s top left-shot option until Brodin is ready to return (he’ll likely be the first one back). He’ll stand to see far more than his usual 16-17 minutes per game in the coming days – he’s already skated more than 20 minutes twice in Minnesota’s last five games.

Image courtesy of USA Today Sports.

Oilers Place Travis Dermott On Waivers

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The Oilers have placed defenseman Travis Dermott on waivers and will assign him to AHL Bakersfield if he clears, per a club announcement Thursday.

A second-round pick of the Maple Leafs back in 2015, Dermott became an unrestricted free agent last summer after additional stops with the Canucks and Coyotes in the past few seasons. After posting seven points and a -14 rating in 50 appearances in Arizona last season, though, there wasn’t notable interest on the open market, and he had to wait until late in the summer to ink a tryout agreement with Edmonton. He was at least able to parlay a strong training camp into a contract, inking a two-way deal ($775K/$500K) on the opening day of the regular season.

While he played in the Oilers’ first three games of the season, he’s failed to establish himself as a regular in the lineup. He has no points and a -3 rating in 10 appearances this season and has been a scratch in eight straight outings dating back to Nov. 19. After the Oilers claimed the younger Alec Regula off waivers from the Bruins yesterday, it was apparent that Dermott’s job as the No. 7 option on Edmonton’s back end might be in jeopardy.

As a player on a two-way deal without a deal past this season, there might be some interest in Dermott’s 339 games of NHL experience on the waiver wire. If not, though, he’ll head to Bakersfield for his first non-conditioning AHL assignment in six years.

Edmonton Oilers Sign Travis Dermott

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4:41 PM: Edmonton has officially announced the one-year, two-way contract for Dermott.

11:27 AM: The Oilers still have defenseman Travis Dermott with the organization on a professional tryout, and it’s expected to result in a two-way contract tomorrow, per PuckPedia. Edmonton still has some procedural moves to make, including maximizing their cap hit before placing winger Evander Kane on LTIR, so it’s not surprising Dermott’s deal has had to wait. While it’s a two-way deal, it would be a surprise to see Dermott land on waivers instead of starting the season on the NHL roster with the Oilers carrying only six defenders.

From 2018 to 2022, Dermott was a regular with the Maple Leafs, peaking as a serviceable third-pairing option who wasn’t afraid to involve himself physically. Over his first three seasons in Toronto, Dermott posted 41 points in 157 games with a +25 rating, averaging 17 minutes per contest. He was consistently among the team’s hit leaders, finishing third on the club with 100 in 64 appearances in 2018-19, and posted well above average possession metrics in his relatively easy minutes. While a left-shot defender, he’s logged some time playing on the right as well.

But over the past three seasons, his overall play has taken a step back. After being sent to the Canucks at the 2022 trade deadline, he missed most of the following season with a concussion and played just 11 games. He wasn’t given a qualifying offer and landed with the Coyotes shortly thereafter on a one-year, two-way deal for 2023-24. He avoided waivers and played 50 games last year for Arizona, posting seven points (2 G, 5 A) and a -14 rating while averaging 17:17 per game – the most ice time he’d logged since 2019-20.

Dermott’s showing last season certainly doesn’t jump off the page. However, he was given the toughest minutes of his career with the Yotes, starting nearly 60% of his even-strength shifts in the defensive end. His possession metrics responded in kind, posting a 45.0 xGF% and a 44.3 CF%, the worst possession numbers of any Arizona defender not named Josh Brown, who’s now also in the Oilers organization.

The Oilers’ defense is far from set after they lost Vincent Desharnais in free agency and cap constraints forced them to deal Cody Ceci to the Sharks. They’re looking for a partner for Darnell Nurse on the team’s second pairing, a competition Dermott may enter alongside Ty Emberson and Troy Stecher.

Pacific Notes: Ryan, Dermott, Garland

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Edmonton Oilers forward Derek Ryan took part in the team’s practice today as a full participant (as per Oilers reporter Tony Brar). Ryan was only on the ice for the latter stage of the team’s morning skate on Friday and didn’t play in their preseason game on Friday evening. He was deemed day-to-day with an undisclosed injury, but it does appear as though the 37-year-old  should be good for opening night.

Ryan will likely see significant time as the Oilers’ fourth-line center and could be flanked by Vasily Podkolzin and Corey Perry. Edmonton waived two forwards earlier today, one of whom (Raphael Lavoie) was in the running Ryan’s role on the fourth line and was a bit of a surprise cut given his young age and potential upside. Ryan is nearing the end of his career and is coming off the least productive offensive season of his nine-year NHL career.

In other Pacific Division notes:

  • Oilers head coach Kris Knoblauch spoke to the media today about the status of defenseman Travis Dermott (as per Oilers reporter Tony Brar). The 27-year-old has had a great training camp with Edmonton but remains unsigned and is working under a PTO. The Oilers waived Josh Brown today who they signed earlier this summer, and his demotion could signal that the Oilers are ready to commit to Dermott for this season. Dermott could explore his options elsewhere like Kevin Labanc did when he left his PTO with New Jersey to sign with the Columbus Blue Jackets.
  • Vancouver Canucks forward Conor Garland skated today by himself for the team’s practice (as per Ben Kuzma of Postmedia). Canucks head coach Rick Tocchet told the media that the team is hopeful that Garland will be ready to play on opening night this Wednesday. Garland suffered an undisclosed injury on Friday morning during practice and was considered day-to-day as he sat out Friday night’s preseason game for precautionary reasons. Given the injuries that Vancouver is currently dealing with, it’s easy to see why the team was cautious with Garland.

Oilers Sign Travis Dermott To PTO

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Sep. 13: The Oilers made Dermott’s PTO official today.

Sep. 10: The Edmonton Oilers have signed defenseman Travis Dermott to a professional try-out contract, first reported by Daily Faceoff’s Frank Seravalli and later by Sportsnet’s Mark Spector. The deal gives Dermott a chance to earn a deal with his third Canadian club, having previously played five years in Toronto and two in Vancouver.

Dermott signed a one-year, two-way contract with the Arizona Coyotes last summer. He spent the entirety of the deal on the NHL roster, though injuries limited him to just 50 games. He struggled to find the scoresheet, netting just seven points on the year. That wasn’t enough to earn a new deal, leaving Dermott an unrestricted free agent as Arizona moved to Utah.

Dermott now finds himself signing try-outs in what should be his prime years – a long fall for a player originally selected 34th overall in the 2015 NHL Draft. He turned pro one season later, recording 24 points in 59 games and looking stout on the defensive side of the puck as an AHL rookie. Those traits earned him a call-up the following year, where he repeated his showings in the minors with a modest 11 points in 37 games but flashes of strong defense.

He quickly became a focal piece of a bleak Leafs blue line, though a routine NHL role came with routine bouts with injuries. He’s only appeared in four seasons of 50 games or more – every year between 2018 and 2021, and last season. That surge back to routine minutes could be the spark Dermott needs to rediscover his consistency this season. To boot, he boasts an ability to play on either side, potentially filling Edmonton’s need for flexible defensive depth. But he’ll first have to earn a roster spot out of camp before he’s able to  join the reigning Stanley Cup runner-ups.

Snapshots: Dermott, Tucker, Zelenov

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While there has been plenty of speculation surrounding the Oilers when it comes to adding a right-shot defenseman (either via PTO or a one-year deal) heading into training camp, Postmedia’s Kurt Leavins wonders if they might go a different direction.  He suggests that it might be more likely that veteran blueliner Travis Dermott could wind up in Edmonton for training camp.  While the 27-year-old is a left-shot player, he can play on the right side and he played for head coach Kris Knoblauch in his junior days with OHL Erie while Jeff Jackson, Edmonton’s CEO of Hockey Operations, used to be his agent.  Dermott played on a two-way deal last season with Arizona, picking up seven points in 50 games while logging over 17 minutes a night.

Elsewhere around the hockey world:

  • Matthew DeFranks of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch assesses the defensive situation for the Blues. Even with Torey Krug’s season over before it even started, St. Louis has ample depth with nine players who could plausibly make a case for a roster spot.  Matthew Kessel is the lone waiver-exempt player which could hurt his chances while DeFranks suggests that Tyler Tucker might be the one with the most work to do to maintain his roster spot.  Unless St. Louis wants to carry eight blueliners to start the season, they’ll have to put one of their current rearguards on waivers barring an injury in training camp.
  • Sabres prospect Vasili Zelenov is generating a lot of NCAA interest, reports Mark Divver of the New England Hockey Journal (Twitter link). The 18-year-old was a seventh-round pick in June, going 204th overall after a strong season in Austria, one that saw him put up 37 points in 40 games.  Zelenov is playing with USHL Green Bay this season and will likely look to make the jump to college hockey for the 2025-26 season.

Coyotes’ Travis Dermott Out For The Season With Injury

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The Arizona Coyotes have announced that defenseman Travis Dermott will be sidelined for the rest of the season with an upper-body injury. Forward Nick Bjugstad is also facing an upper-body injury, carrying a day-to-day designation (Twitter link). The Coyotes have five games remaining in their season, including a Tuesday night matchup with the Seattle Kraken.

Dermott has been limited to just 50 games this season, with a month-long absence in November headlining an injury-plagued year. It’s been a disappointing start to Dermott’s time in Arizona after he signed a one-year deal with the team this summer. It was his first time signing a free-agent contract, with all of his previous deals coming with the Toronto Maple Leafs. Dermott certainly found an improved role in the desert, averaging 17:17 in ice time that flirted with his career-high. But it didn’t lead to improved scoring, as he managed just two goals and seven points, matching the measly scoring he posted in 60 games last year. Dermott will be set to re-enter free agency this summer, with this injury likely not helping his bid for a new team if the Coyotes don’t re-sign him.

Rookie Maksymillian Szuber is expected to make his NHL debut in Dermott’s place. Szuber has recorded six goals and 24 points in 67 games as an AHL rookie, after spending the last three seasons in Germany’s DEL. He’ll become the first skater selected outside of 2022’s top two rounds to play in the NHL. Szuber moving into the lineup removes Arizona’s extra defender, though the team could recall an option like Victor Soderstrom or Vladislav Kolyachonok for added depth.

Coyotes Notes: Szuber, Dermott, Scottsdale

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The Arizona Coyotes have recalled defenseman Maksymilian Szuber on an emergency basis from the Tucson Roadrunners of the AHL. Szuber was the Coyotes sixth-round pick (163rd overall) in the 2022 NHL entry draft and has been solid in his first season of North American hockey.

In 67 AHL games, Szuber is +11 and has registered six goals and 18 assists as well as 48 PIMs. The native of Opole, Poland is unlikely to play in his recall and will likely serve as a depth option, but if he does, he will make his NHL debut. It’s safe to say that Szuber is ahead of schedule at this point in his career as very few sixth-round picks ever make it to the NHL and almost none of them get a recall just two years after being drafted.

In other Coyotes notes:

Szuber’s recall likely signifies that Coyotes defenseman Travis Dermott could be questionable to play tomorrow night when Arizona takes on the Seattle Kraken. Dermott left yesterday’s game against San Jose with what is being called an upper-body injury and did not return, the team did not provide an update on the 27-year-old since then. Dermott has dressed in 50 games this season for Arizona, posting two goals and five assists along with a -14 plus/minus rating.

Scottsdale Mayor David Ortega has publicly stated that the Coyotes new proposed arena would not be feasible on the land that the team is looking at and he went on to issue a warning of sorts to the franchise saying that the team should stay away from that area because he would not support the endeavor. The Coyotes have been looking at a 95-acre parcel of land that would fall within Phoenix city limits, but Ortega believes that the lack of infrastructure would be a problem and also asserts that Scottsdale has no available water assets to spare.

Central Snapshots: Vilardi, Gustafsson, Dermott, Gurianov

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The Winnipeg Jets are expecting the return of forwards Gabriel Vilardi and David Gustafsson soon, per team reporter Mike McIntyre with The Free Press. Both players are out with lower-body injuries, with Vilardi missing the team’s last two games and optimistic he can return soon, while Gustafsson has been on injured reserve since December 30th.

Vilardi missed roughly a month-and-a-half earlier in the season with a sprained MCL. He made his return on November 30th and has since scored 11 goals and 19 points in 23 games, while averaging over 17 minutes of ice time each game. That’s a scoring pace of 67 points across 82 games, which would mark a new career high for Vilardi, topping the 23 goals and 41 points he scored in 63 games last season. Vilardi is in his first season with Winnipeg, with the 24-year-old forward serving as a focal piece of the trade that sent Pierre-Luc Dubois to the Los Angeles Kings this summer.

Gustafsson has appeared in 27 games of his own this season, scoring four points while averaging roughly nine minutes of ice time. He appeared in his 100th NHL game on December 20th, recording one assist in the Jets’ 5-2 win over the Detroit Red Wings.

Other notes from the Western Conference:

  • The Arizona Coyotes have shared that defenseman Travis Dermott will miss the team’s Saturday night game with a lower-body injury. Dermott missed 12 games earlier in the season with a hand injury, making his return on December 7th. He has just two points in the 22 games he’s played since then, adding a -8 and eight penalty minutes.
  • Nashville Predators forward Denis Gurianov has lost his waiver exemption status, with Nashville’s Saturday afternoon game marking his 10th game since being recalled on January 6th. He’s scored two points in his stint with the Predators, who have become the third NHL club that Gurianov has played for across his seven-year NHL career. The 26-year-old has totaled 289 career games and 113 points, spending six years of his career with the Dallas Stars.

Injury Updates: Boyd, Dermott, Acciari, Nieto, Gadjovich

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The upper-body injury that Coyotes center Travis Boyd suffered against Colorado on Thursday is not a short-term one, notes PHNX Sports’ Craig Morgan (Twitter link).  Instead, head coach Andre Tourigny indicated that the 30-year-old will be out for multiple weeks.  It has been a rough year for Boyd this season.  He cleared waivers at the end of training camp despite coming off a 34-point season; his $1.75MM contract likely played a role in that.  While he wasn’t sent down to AHL Tucson, he hasn’t been a regular either, seeing action in just 16 of 22 games so far.  To his credit, Boyd has been relatively productive in those games with eight points despite logging less than ten minutes a night but he won’t be adding to those point totals for a little while now.

Other injury news from around the NHL:

  • Still with Arizona, Morgan adds in a separate tweet that blueliner Travis Dermott isn’t quite ready to return tonight against St. Louis. The 26-year-old has missed more than three weeks with an upper-body injury of his own.  Dermott has played in ten games with the Coyotes this season after signing a two-way deal with them in free agency, picking up one assist while averaging 17:29 per contest.
  • The Penguins will be without a pair of veteran forwards tonight versus Philadelphia. Head coach Mike Sullivan told reporters including Justin Guerriero of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review that forwards Noel Acciari and Matt Nieto will not play tonight due to lower-body injuries.  There’s no word yet on how long the fourth liners will miss.  Vinnie Hinostroza and Joona Koppanen will take their place in the lineup.
  • Panthers winger Jonah Gadjovich is dealing with an upper-body injury and won’t play tonight against the Islanders, notes team reporter Jameson Olive. The 25-year-old got in a fight in the final minute of Thursday’s victory over Montreal, one that apparently caused the injury.  Gadjovich has played in seven games since having his contract converted to an NHL deal, notching an assist and 41 penalty minutes while logging 6:22 per night.  Steven Lorentz will suit up in Gadjovich’s absence.

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