Edmonton Oilers officially claim former defenceman on waivers

Travis Dermott was placed on waivers yesterday and connected back to the Oilers, who will have a unique advantage in claiming their former defenceman.

Now just a few games away from the trade deadline, picking up Travis Dermott for free on waivers is a no-risk move for the Edmonton Oilers.

According to an update from PuckPedia yesterday, if no other team placed a claim on Travis Dermott, the Oilers will be able to immediately assign him to the AHL's Bakersfield Condors.

It appears no other team placed a claim in Dermott, so he should be able to go to straight to the AHL.

Oilers GM Stan Bowman expressed a desire for more left shot defenceman depth in the organization, and Travis Dermott is a fine option for insurance behind Brett Kulak.

The 28 year old defenceman has played 348 career NHL games, including a fair share of playoff experience. At $775K in salary, he has an easy contract to fit too.

His initial stint with the Oilers didn't go well and it landed him on waivers, but the Oilers clearly believed in Dermott's ability enough to sign him.

Serving in a depth role in the AHL and for call-ups in the case of injury, claiming Dermott on waivers makes plenty of sense for the Oilers. If he's called upon to play, hopefully he can bring a little more than he did in his previous 10 games with Edmonton.