With Jake Middleton set to miss significant time after sustaining a hand injury Thursday night, the Minnesota Wild claimed left-shot defenseman Travis Dermott off waivers Friday afternoon from the Edmonton Oilers.
Dermott, 27, has scored 16 goals and 62 points and is plus-12 in 339 career NHL games over eight seasons with the Toronto Maple Leafs, Vancouver Canucks, Arizona Coyotes and Oilers. He has no points and is minus-3 in 10 games this season.
According to league sources, Middleton broke a finger in his right hand on his first shift against the Oilers when he was struck by Evan Bouchard’s wrist shot. He was expected to undergo surgery Friday and also being assessed for another potential injury to his hand.
The Wild placed Middleton on long-term injury reserve, which means he has to miss at least 10 games and 24 days.
Coach John Hynes, before the waiver claim, said he didn’t know if Middleton was undergoing surgery but that his status is week to week, not month to month.
“He’s played for great for us,” Hynes said. “He brings a lot to the table. Anytime you get injuries, you’re going to lose what the player brings. But it’s also an opportunity. You don’t replace the player when he’s out, but other guys do get opportunities and then sometimes depending on the situation people share those roles.
“Maybe someone steps into the role. That’s all you can do in these situations is try to help and figure out the best way to get around what we’re missing with Middsy.”
Hynes was scheduled to meet with defenseman Jonas Brodin and right wing Mats Zuccarello after Friday’s optional practice to see how they’re feeling. He did not know yet whether their potential returns could be Saturday against Philadelphia, Sunday against Vegas or Wednesday against Florida.
It does seem that Zuccarello, who has been on LTIR, is closer to returning and that the Wild would be more cautious with Brodin’s upper-body injury. Both would need to be fully cleared medically before they can return.
Dermott is a good skater, can move the puck and execute a good first pass, competes down low in the defensive zone but is not overly physical, an NHL pro scout told The Athletic.
“He can eliminate and contain and skates well enough to support the rush, but he’s not a real offensive player. He’s more a defensive puck-moving type,” the scout said.
Essentially, he adds experienced depth, which is what the Wild lack right now with Middleton hurt and Jonas Brodin working his way back from an upper-body injury.
Dermott is not a power-play guy. He can kill penalties, however.
The Wild’s penalty kill ranks 30th in the NHL at 70.4 percent.
The 6-foot Dermott played on the Coyotes’ penalty kill in 47 of his 50 games last year, getting 50 percent of the PK minutes in those games. Of course, the Coyotes ranked 25th on the penalty kill last season at 76.3 percent, which was slightly better than the 30th-ranked Wild at 74.5 percent.
It’s unclear when Dermott will be able to debut for the Wild. He’s from Newmarket, Ontario, and may not have an active U.S. work visa. Typically, those expire when one’s contract ends, and Dermott signed with the Oilers as a league-minimum free agent in October.
“I think these are the challenges that you face,” Hynes said of the injuries piling up and coming off a 7-1 loss to Edmonton. “When you win, are you going to get too high on the hog and then your game starts to slip? We haven’t seen that. When we’ve lost, we haven’t really not come back with a strong game and find a way to win that.
“Now when you get injuries, OK, this is the situation we’re in. How are we going to make it work? I think when you have that belief and you have the focus and the mindset, it starts with that. And I think when you have a strong structure and identity and how you want to play, that gives you the best chance to be able to get through different situations.”
(Photo: Steph Chambers / Getty Images)
