The Edmonton Oilers made their move on Sunday, signing restricted free agent forward Colton Dach to a two-year contract worth $2.4 million.
Before joining Edmonton, the 23-year-old spent the majority of last season with the Chicago Blackhawks, putting up nine points — three goals and six assists — along with a minus-15 rating, 47 penalty minutes, 27 blocked shots, and 189 hits across 53 games. His time in Chicago came to an end on March 4, when he and forward Jason Dickinson were dealt to the Oilers in exchange for forward Andrew Mangiapane and a conditional first-round draft pick in 2027.
Once in Edmonton, Dach appeared in eight regular-season games and contributed four points — two goals and two assists — with a zero rating, five penalty minutes, two blocked shots, and 30 hits.
When the playoffs arrived, the 6-foot-4, 218-pound forward added one assist, four penalty minutes, one blocked shot, and 23 hits over five postseason games with the Oilers.
Combining his totals from both teams, Dach’s 219 hits on the season placed him 14th in the entire league — a notable achievement considering he played just 61 games, the fewest among any player ranked in the top 17 on that list.
Chicago originally selected Dach in the second round of the 2021 NHL Draft. Over his career, spanning time with the Blackhawks from 2024 to 2026 and the Oilers in 2026, he has accumulated 20 points — seven goals and 13 assists — along with a minus-18 rating, 69 penalty minutes, 41 blocked shots, and 305 hits in 86 regular-season games.
