- Jason Dickinson has re-aggravated the foot injury that cut short his playoffs
- Mike Babcock says the Oilers center likely won’t be ready for opening night
- Read below for what Babcock said and who could fill in up front
Jason Dickinson’s foot problem isn’t finished with him yet.
Oilers head coach Mike Babcock told reporters Friday that Dickinson suffered a setback and will sit out Saturday’s preseason finale against Calgary. Babcock said the center now looks unlikely to be ready for Edmonton’s regular-season opener against Vancouver on Sept. 29.
Dickinson broke his foot on April 8 in a game at San Jose, with three games left in the regular season. He pushed through it long enough to score twice in Edmonton’s playoff opener against Anaheim, then missed Games 2 and 3 of that series. TSN’s Ryan Rishaug caught him leaving an Oilers practice in discomfort last week, an early sign the issue was creeping back:
Babcock was asked what triggered this latest flare-up. He said Dickinson tweaked the same spot again and it hasn’t loosened up since.
“It’s the same thing from the playoffs,” Babcock said. “He tweaked it. Thought it was coming good, but yesterday was a tough day.”
The coach fielded more questions Friday, this time about the makeup of Saturday’s lineup against the Flames. Take a look at what he said about dressing a more veteran group:
Asked to dig deeper on Dickinson, Babcock admitted he’s working with limited information himself.
“I don’t really know what’s going on there. I know that he’s had a setback,” Babcock said. “The physical part is one thing, the mental part is another. If you keep having these setbacks, it’s hard.”
Pace was the other factor Babcock raised. He said Edmonton’s lineup has gotten fast enough that whoever fills in for Dickinson needs to be able to keep up with it. Owen Michaels and Josh Samanski are candidates to slot in at center, and Trent Frederic could shift over from the wing, Jim Matheson reported for the Edmonton Journal.
Dickinson signed a five-year, $20 million extension with the Oilers this offseason and was set to center a line with Kasperi Kapanen and Frederic while working the penalty kill. Babcock described the injury as sounding more short-term than long-term, even with no firm return date attached.
The Oilers host Calgary Saturday before opening the season Tuesday against Vancouver, a Canucks team also nursing a fresh injury up front after Filip Chytil went down in their own exhibition finale this week.
