Jason Dickinson Is Back, and the Oilers Need What He Brings

Jason Dickinson is back in the Edmonton Oilers' lineup tonight against the Anaheim Ducks, and that may matter more than it sounds. Dickinson missed the first three games of the season with a foot injury, but he's expected to return on the second line with Trent Frederic and Kasperi Kapanen.

Dickinson isn't the sort of player who usually gets the headlines in Edmonton. Those belong to Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl, and rightly so. But the Oilers brought Dickinson back for a reason. The Oilers acquired him from Chicago at last season's trade deadline and then signed him to a five-year extension in June. Last season he had seven goals and 10 assists in 64 games between Chicago and Edmonton, and he added two goals in four playoff games.

That's not superstar production. It's not supposed to be. What Dickinson gives Edmonton is a little harder to measure. He's a veteran centre who can play in different situations, take tougher minutes, and add physicality. He can make a team with plenty of high-end talent a little harder to play against. And after watching the Oilers open the season with 19 goals against in three games, I suspect nobody in Edmonton will complain about having another responsible player back in the lineup.

What I Like About What Dickinson Brings to the Oilers.

This is one of those little stories that can disappear behind the big names. McDavid has nine points in three games. Leon Draisaitl has five. Vasily Podkolzin has five. Those are the numbers everyone will notice.

But hockey teams need other things, too. Sometimes getting an important player back isn't about adding another scorer. It's about getting a piece of the team back into place. Dickinson doesn't have to change the Oilers. He just has to make them a little more difficult to play against.

And maybe that's a pretty good reason to pay attention tonight. Fans probably shouldn't expect Dickinson to suddenly transform the Oilers. What they can expect is a little more reliability, physicality and defensive responsibility — the sort of things that don't always show up in the box score but can matter over 82 games.