Breaking down the details of Jason Dickinson’s new contract

This deal marks Dickinson’s sixth NHL contract, and the 30-year old was a pending unrestricted free agent heading into July 1. He is coming off a two-year, $4.25 million cap hit deal with the Blackhawks.

The 30-year-old was acquired by the Oilers alongside Colton Dach ahead of the NHL trade deadline in exhange for a 2027 first-round pick and disgruntled winger Andrew Mangiapane. He appeared in 17 regular season games scoring a goal and four points, adding two goals and three points in four playoff games.

Dickinson is widely considered one of the top defensive centres in hockey. According to analytics website HockeyViz, Dickinson drove defensive play at a staggering 19 per cent rate above league average, while providing league average offence last season, with his overall impact equalling that of a first-line player.

He, of course, won’t play that high in the Oilers lineup, but will instead man the third-line, where he has for much of his career. Over the last three years, Dickinson has been outscored 112-98 at five-on-five, for a 46.7 per cent goal share, according to Natural Stat Trick, and while that raw number isn’t strong, his goal share relative to his teammates is 11.5 per cent above average.