Jason Dickinson might be injured again for the Edmonton Oilers. Details of the severity of his latest setback are unclear, but the forward left the ice early on Thursday as the team was doing its morning practice ahead of its matchup against the Utah Mammoth.
It sounds like Dickinson will be a game-time decision for the Oilers, but the concern might be longer-term than just Thursday night's game.
Jason Gregor of Sports 1440 writes : "Dickinson leaving midway through morning skate has his status for tonight up in the air. Ankles can get tweaked, and he was in discomfort leaving the ice. But that could be short-term, and he'll be fine, or he might have aggravated something again."
Dickinson has had a rough go of things over the past several months. Injured in the playoffs last season, he battled through the series with the Anaheim Ducks but was in clear pain. He spent the offseason trying to rehab, but things were never quite 100 percent.
Ahead of his return this season, there were unexpected delays. The thought when he left training camp was that it might be short-term. "It's the same thing (from playoffs). He tweaked it," Mike Babcock said that week. "I thought it was coming good, but yesterday was a tough day."
Dickinson did return, but has only played in three games. He'll be monitored by the team's medical staff ahead of Thursday's puck drop. If he can't go, the Oilers will need to make adjustments.
Head coach Mike Babcock noted , "He's a real intelligent, useful player for us…. He gives us a different complexion."
Dickinson is just one of several players out of action in Edmonton. Zach Hyman was pegged to return to the lineup a couple of games ago. He's still out. Ryan Nugent-Hopkins was on the ice today, but he's not ready to return. Matt Savoie remains out for at least a couple more weeks.
The team is also without defenseman Jake Walman and Alec Regula. They're missing Mattias Janmark at forward and Frederik Andersen in net.
Edmonton is battling through, off to a 5-0-1 start. They remain on the only undefeated NHL team in regulation. That said, if the injuries keep coming, one has to wonder how long the Oilers can stay above water. The hope is that they can get a few players back in the coming days and deepen their roster.
The Athletic's Dom Luszczyszyn recently wrote that the Oilers' reliance on Connor McDavid , Leon Draisaitl, and Evan Bouchard is a concern. He notes, "the gap between McDavid, Draisaitl, and Bouchard compared to the rest of the team has never looked wider."
"This season, with Mike Babcock behind the bench coaxing more out of the rest of the roster, was supposed to be different… The goal was to find an identity outside three of the best players in the world and to become more of a team. A deeper team that can win it all."
An injury to Dickinson doesn't help matters.
This article was originally published on HEAVY
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