The Edmonton Oilers made it official Sunday night, signing restricted free agent forward Colton Dach to a two-year extension worth $1.2 million annually. The deal keeps the 23-year-old under team control through 2027-28, and he’ll remain an RFA when it expires.
Dach arrived in Edmonton at the 2026 trade deadline as part of a larger deal that sent Andrew Mangiapane and a conditional 2027 first-round pick to Chicago. The Blackhawks also shipped Jason Dickinson to the Oilers in that swap. It was a buying move for a team trying to add depth for a deep playoff run.
Last season, Dach played 61 NHL games split between the two clubs. He put up five goals and eight assists for 13 points, with 52 penalty minutes. Before the trade, he managed three goals and six assists in 53 games with Chicago. After pulling on an Oilers jersey for the first time on March 6, he chipped in two goals and two assists over eight regular-season games.
His first taste of postseason hockey with Edmonton went okay — one assist in five games, averaging 8:27 of ice time. He also piled up 23 hits and blocked three shots in that series. Not bad for a guy still trying to find his footing on a contender.
But here’s the thing that got Edmonton’s front office interested: the kid hits. A lot. Dach finished the season with 219 hits, ranking among the NHL’s top 15 despite playing fewer games than everyone else in that group. He also spent time on long-term injured reserve with a lower-body injury before returning for the playoffs.
Draftniks will remember the Blackhawks picked him in the second round of the 2021 draft, 62nd overall. At 6-foot-4 and 218 pounds, he’s built to be a bottom-six forward who makes life miserable for opponents. Before turning pro, he finished his WHL career with the Seattle Thunderbirds after a trade from Kelowna. He won the Ed Chynoweth Cup there, putting up three goals and 11 assists in 19 playoff games.
His development path included a full season with the AHL’s Rockford IceHogs in 2023-24, where he scored 11 goals and added 16 assists in 48 games. The next year, he split time between the AHL and NHL again, posting seven points in 25 games with Chicago and 26 points in 33 AHL contests.
Colton is the younger brother of Montreal forward Kirby Dach. Both are from St. Albert, Alberta. The Oilers clearly see something they like in the younger Dach’s physical game and think he can carve out a regular role in the lineup over the next two years.
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