The Edmonton Oilers got a familiar face back on Wednesday, activating centerman Jason Dickinson from injured reserve before their matchup with the Calgary Flames.
Dickinson had been out for the past six games after suffering a groin injury during practice on October 14. He was back in regular practice on Tuesday, and the Oilers are expected to work him back in gradually during their home game before the team heads out on a three-game road trip.
It’s been a stop-and-start beginning to the year for the 31-year-old. A nagging ankle issue slowed him out of the gate, and the recent groin injury has left him with just three appearances this season.
In those games, he has recorded one assist, three shot blocks, and three hits. With Dickinson back in the mix, rookie Owen Michaels is expected to slide into the fourth-line center spot, while Colton Dach likely heads to the press box.
For Edmonton, the timing matters. The club enters a demanding stretch with more depth and momentum, riding a 7-2-1 record over its last 10 games while trying to keep giving Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl enough support.
Elsewhere around the league, the Columbus Blue Jackets activated and assigned defenseman Caleb MacDonald. The 23-year-old had been dealing with a lower-body injury suffered in training camp and spent the start of the season on Columbus’ non-roster injured reserve.
MacDonald is coming off his first pro season with the AHL’s Cleveland Monsters, where he posted 12 points, 74 penalty minutes, and a minus-six in 58 games. Before turning pro, he spent two college seasons, one at the University of Alaska-Fairbanks and one at the University of North Dakota.
Across those 66 collegiate games, he piled up 80 penalty minutes. At 6-foot-4 and 225 pounds, he is expected to bring his usual physical edge back to Cleveland’s lineup.
Boston Bruins owner and governor Jeremy Jacobs also made a notable organizational move, announcing that his son, Charlie Jacobs, will take over his role as the Bruins’ governor effective immediately.
Charlie Jacobs has long been the public face of Bruins ownership and has served as alternate governor. He also founded and chairs the Boston Bruins Foundation, which has raised more than $80MM for children, families, first responders, and military personnel since 2003. Beyond that, he has played a major part in the development of the New England Sports Network (NESN).
In Other News...
Bruins Top-Six Problems Are Putting Pastrnak At A Real Crossroads
Bostons latest look at its top six only sharpened the concern around David Pastrnaks current fit. Against Carolina, the line with JJ Peterka and Pavel Zacha never found any rhythm, and the underlying numbers were as bleak as the eye test suggested. The group spent too much time defending, too little time threatening, and for a team already searching for answers up front, that is the sort of combination that can force a coach to start shuffling pieces again.
One path back to stability is sitting right there in the recent history of the lineup, where Pastrnak had more traction alongside Marat Khusnutdinov and Fraser Minten. The Bruins also have Morgan Geekie in the mix as another forward whose own struggles add to the pressure on the top-six configuration. With the offense still trying to find a cleaner structure, the question is whether Boston decides to keep pushing this version of Pastrnaks line or goes back to a combination that already showed it can work. [Read more 🡒]
Bruins Let A Winnable Road Game Slip Away After Early Lead
The Bruins had enough early to feel like they could take something out of Raleigh, with Pavel Zacha giving them the only goal they would need to lean on if the rest of the night broke their way. Jeremy Swayman did his part with 28 saves, and for long stretches Boston had the look of a team capable of grinding out a road result before the game tightened and the margin for error disappeared.
Instead, a one-goal cushion turned into a one-goal loss, 2-1, and Bostons point streak came to an end in a game that had been there for the taking. The Bruins now get a day off to reset before turning to the St. Louis Blues, with the lingering concern being how quickly a solid start can unravel when a road game stays this close for too long. [Read more 🡒]
Bruins Face A Pavel Zacha Dilemma They Can't Ignore
Pavel Zachas next contract has become one of those quiet Bruins storylines that could wind up mattering a great deal. Chris Johnston reported that Boston and Zacha do not see the financial picture the same way, which puts the organization in a familiar spot: valuing a useful top-six forward while trying to keep its books pointed in the right direction.
For the Bruins, the tension is less about what Zacha has become than what they are willing to pay to keep him in that role. Johnstons reporting suggests the club has its own line in mind, and the gap with the players side is enough to make this more than routine negotiation. If Boston wants to avoid letting a stable piece of its forward group become a bigger offseason question, this is the kind of discussion that will need clarity sooner rather than later. [Read more 🡒]