Oilers Reportedly Close To Signing Free Agent Defenceman

The Edmonton Oilers are reportedly close to a contract with defenceman Travis Dermott.

Dermott is currently at Oilers training camp on a professional tryout offer, and his play seems to have earned him a deal. According to the 2 Mutts Hockey Podcast, contract talks have progressed this morning.

Travis Dermott is a 27 year old left shot defender and former second round draft pick of the Toronto Maple Leafs. Dermott has gone on to play 329 career NHL games with the Leafs, Canucks, and Coyotes, posting decent analytics results in that time. Dermott even has 22 games of playoff experience, which is more than both Josh Brown and Troy Stecher.

The Oilers currently have a battle for two defensive spots: the second pair and the third pairing right side. Dermott played on the second pair with Darnell Nurse in last night's preseason game and had a decent game, even scoring a goal while pinching up in the play. Dermott is a left shot, but has played the right side at times during his career.

Another factor working in Dermott's favour is his history with a few prominent Oilers. Dermott was coached by Kris Knoblauch back with the Eerie Otters, and he's also a lifelong friend of Connor McDavid.

The Oilers have the space to sign Dermott to a contract for $838K and still come in under the salary cap. For another quality depth defenceman, it's more than a fair price to pay to keep him in the organization.

There's now only six days until the Oilers begin their regular season at home against the Winnipeg Jets. We'll have to see if Edmonton is able to retain Dermott, and potentially if that changes how they line up on the blue line in the home opener.

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