Most PTOs amount to nothing.
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If the player does make the team, it can be treated as found money, an extra contributor acquired for basically nothing. But in some cases, a PTO can lead to a missed opportunity.
That’s what happened to the New Jersey Devils with forward Kevin Labanc. The former Shark came into Devils camp on a PTO and stood out, earning himself a shot on the team’s bottom six. However, the Devils’ offer of an NHL contract required him to start the season in the AHL. The Columbus Blue Jackets seized this opportunity and signed Labanc to an NHL deal, picking up a middle-six contributor for just about nothing.
Not often you see a player on PTO have a great training camp and sign elsewhere before season begins.#njdevils offered Kevin Labanc the same contract, but needed to waive him and put him in AHL for a bit for cap reasons.#CBJ has injuries, swooped in. Good opportunity now.
— Frank Seravalli (@frank_seravalli) October 5, 2024
The Edmonton Oilers might end up in the same position with Travis Dermott. The 27-year-old defender had an excellent training camp, and by merits should earn a roster spot in Edmonton. But signing Dermott would force the Oilers to waive either Josh Brown, who they just signed to a three-year deal, or Troy Stecher, who would likely be claimed.
Thus, Dermott may be able to parlay his strong training camp into an NHL role elsewhere. He would be an attractive fit on a rebuilding team like San Jose or Calgary, or even cash-strapped contenders like Dallas or Tampa Bay. The Oilers, as a cash-strapped contender themselves, can’t afford to let that happen.
This has happened to the Oilers before. Back in 2016, they invited two-time Cup winner Kris Versteeg to camp on a PTO. Versteeg played well, looking for all the world like a valuable bottom-six grinder. But at the end of training camp, Versteeg turned down a two-way contract with the Oilers in favour of a one-way deal with the Calgary Flames, where there was more opportunity for playing time.
Now, obviously the Oilers can’t head into the season with eight defencemen on the roster. They’ll have to choose two of Dermott, Stecher, and Brown. From an on-ice and salary cap perspective, waiving Brown seems to be the best option. He has a history of poor NHL numbers, had a tough training camp, and is the most expensive of the three at $1 million.
But clearly, the Oilers value Brown’s size, or else they wouldn’t have committed three years to him. Stecher and Dermott are similar players and would be redundant on the same roster. Dermott, having outperformed Stecher in pre-season and bringing versatility by being able to play both sides of the ice, seems like the better choice. Stecher’s on a very cheap two-year contract, so Edmonton would be at risk of losing him on waivers, but that’s just the position the Oilers have put themselves in.
It’s possible this is nothing, and Dermott either accepts an AHL assignment with the Oilers or can’t catch on elsewhere in the NHL. But he’s found money for Edmonton, a versatile, steady, puck-moving defenceman who can play anywhere in your bottom four. It’d be tough to see him leave town for nothing.
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