The Vancouver Canucks were so desperate to get rid of Jason Dickinson that they attached a second-round pick to get him off their books.
Now, they should be kicking themselves.
Dickinson has been an outstanding pickup for the Chicago Blackhawks since they acquired him for Riley Stillman and a second-round draft choice.
That second-round pick became important as it was a pick that was used in the team’s maneuvering to move up a few spots in the first round and add another first-round selection in the 2024 NHL Draft.
That is how the Hawks added Sacha Boisvert with the No. 18 pick and Marek Vanacker with the No. 27 choice.
Turning one second-round selection into two first-round picks is not what makes the Blackhawks the winner of the Jason Dickinson deal.
What makes the Blackhawks the ultimate winner in the transaction is not only has Dickinson been a solid player, but Stillman has been waived…by the Carolina Hurricanes after not doing much for the Canucks and then the Buffalo Sabres last season.
Extended trade tree:
Canucks traded Jason Dickinson & '24 2nd rd pick to #Blackhawks for Riley StillmanThat 2nd rd pick (#61) went from CHI to NYI
(#18 & #50 for #20, #54, & #61)Chicago traded that #50 pick to CAR
(#34 & #50 for #27)#18 Sacha Boisvert
#27 Marek Vanacker https://t.co/KAwkmpINv0— Mario Tirabassi (@Mario_Tirabassi) November 12, 2024
Meanwhile, the Blackhawks got 21 assists from Dickinson in his first season with Chicago Then he scored a career-high 22 goals last season.
While his goal production is nowhere near last season’s production, he has been making an early case to win the Selke with how he is defending the best the NHL has to offer.
Jason Dickinson not only scored in the Blackhawks' win tonight but also did a masterful job containing Kirill Kaprizov as much as possible.
This has become Dickinson’s forte; he’s legitimately one of the NHL's best defensive centers.
Postgame story: https://t.co/FvvVOHjjvD
— Ben Pope (@BenPopeCST) November 11, 2024
However, defense has always been his calling card in the NHL. It has been the offensive contributions that has helped the Blackhawks win the trade.
Can it be considered winning a trade when it was a salary dump move made by the Canucks?
Getting Dickinson’s $2.65 AVV off Vancouver’s books was the primary reason the Canucks shipped him off to Chicago. It is kind of hard to lose a deal when the goal is to get salary cap relief.
He produced just 11 points in the 2021-22 season, and that is too much for even a defensive-minded center to make. You must be able to contribute something offensively. The Canucks never got the version of Dickinson that the Hawks are getting.
The Blackhawks could use some of the scoring Dickinson provided last season right about now. Goals have been hard to come by for the Blackhawks during the early portion of the schedule.
The fear was last year’s goal production would be just a career year for Dickinson. It is a good thing Jason can contribute in other ways. Just would be nice for him to contribute some goals right about now.
