Oilers Made Right Decision Placing Josh Brown on Waivers

The Edmonton Oilers are looking to make a push for a Stanley Cup this season, and they hope their moves in the offseason will give them enough of a boost to bring them a championship they were one win away from capturing last season. Despite the season officially starting today (Oct. 8), Oilers fans are still recovering from their Game 7 loss to the Florida Panthers in the Stanley Cup Final last season, even after almost reverse sweeping the eventual champions and making it one of the most memorable seasons in Oilers’ history. Knowing that, the team went out and made some worthy additions to bolster their lineup in hopes of winning their sixth Cup in franchise history. 

While they added Jeff Skinner and Viktor Arvidsson in hopes of strengthening their depth at forward, they also made some moves to bolster their defensive depth. One of those moves included trading Cody Ceci and a draft pick to the San Jose Sharks in exchange for Ty Emberson, who will play a shutdown role alongside Darnell Nurse this season and looked strong in preseason. Another move they made that left Oilers fans puzzled was signing Josh Brown to a three-year contract worth $1 million annually after he had a terrible 2023-24 season with the Arizona Coyotes.

Josh Brown, signed 3x$1M by EDM, is a depth defenceman. #LetsGoOilers pic.twitter.com/401aXuAdsM

— JFresh (@JFreshHockey) July 1, 2024

Brown’s defensive play last season, or lack thereof, made the signing a questionable decision right away. While fans held out hope that Brown could come into training camp and prove himself as a worthy depth defender, he wasn’t able to do that. In the games he played, Brown looked weak in the defensive zone with his decision-making and didn’t make much of an impact offensively. While his size was an exciting asset after losing Vincent Desharnais to the Vancouver Canucks, Brown was placed on waivers and sent to the American Hockey League (AHL) after losing his job to both Troy Stecher and Travis Dermott, who looked miles better than Brown in every category.

Oilers Should Find External Depth Upgrade on Brown

While Brown was sent down and won’t be part of the opening-night roster, he is penciled in as the first defender to be called up in the event of an injury, which is worrisome. The Oilers will accrue cap space as the season moves along in hopes of making a splash at the 2025 Trade Deadline, and one of their most important additions should be an extra depth piece who can be a seventh defender. In a previous article, I mentioned Toronto Maple Leafs’ Timothy Liljegren as a potential fit, but there will be plenty of players available closer to the deadline.

At the end of the day, Brown being sent to the AHL was the right decision. He would have been more of a liability than an asset despite the redeeming quality of his size making him a strong physical presence. If he can find some confidence with the Bakersfield Condors in the minors, he will get another shot in the NHL. However, the Oilers are trying to win their sixth Cup in franchise history, and they aren’t going to do so with Brown playing for them. Luckily, it seems as though Dermott has earned a contract with the Oilers off of his professional tryout (PTO) contract and will be their depth addition rather than Brown.

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