Oilers sign Travis Dermott to PTO: can he secure a roster spot?

Dermott is a 27 year-old left-shot defenseman who started his NHL journey with the Toronto Maple Leafs after being picked 34th overall in the 2015 draft, one round after they snagged Mitch Marner. While he was with the Erie Otters in the OHL, His draft rights were dealt to the Los Angeles Kings and Columbus Blue Jackets in the trade that featured Marian Gaborik going to California before winning a Stanley Cup in 2014.

Dermott completed his round trip, as he was traded back to the Leafs in 2015. He became an AHL regular for the Marlies from 2016-18, even contributing to their 2018 Calder Cup title. Once the journeyman got the call to the show, he remained a Leafs blueliner until 2022. That's when he was traded to the Vancouver Canucks for a third-round pick which turned into former Toronto prospect, 20 year-old Seattle Thunderbirds star Jordan Gustafson, who's now property of the Vegas Golden Knights.

Unfortunately for Dermott, he saw limited playing time in Vancouver. He only played 28 games over two seasons with the Canucks, and one with Abbotsford in the AHL . Last season, he signed with the Arizona. Coyotes and suited up for 50 games, registering seven points and logging solid ice time-over 17 minutes a night.

Now, Dermott's coming to Edmonton as a free agent, hoping to crack the roster. Aside from being versatile and having played both sides of the defensive zone, he also might have a relationship edge over other PTO players since he's familiar with head coach Kris Knoblauch, having played for him with Erie. Dermott was also
teammates with Connor McDavid and Connor Brown on that team.

We'll see soon enough if Dermott can earn himself a spot in Edmonton, but it's an interesting move by the Oilers.

Source: Hockey Feed
Another former member of the Maple Leafs joins the Oilers!