Oilers free agent signing named highly likely to be placed on waivers

The Oilers signed the veteran Josh Brown to a three year contract in the offseason for $1M, but he may not be even in the NHL for much of it. Zach Laing of OilersNation has said it's likely Brown is waived, and he probably won't be claimed by another team.

Josh Brown is 30 years old and has played 290 career NHL games with 4 different teams. He's spent the last two seasons with the Arizona Coyotes and got absolutely shelled, posting a brutal -18 in limited minutes during the 2022-23 season. By many analytics, Brown ranks near the least effective defenceman in the entire NHL. However, he is a big body at 6'5 and a right handed shot which is an intrinsic asset for any blue line.

In preseason, plenty of fans haven't been impressed with Brown's play yet. Brown has struggled to make effective plays to get up the ice, and is frequently caught out of position in the defensive zone. The Oilers may have been hoping to get a cheaper version of Vincent Desharnais who left in free agency, but the Paul Coffey will have his work cut out for him teaching Brown the ropes.

The signing of Brown wouldn't be as confusing if the Oilers weren't able to acquire other cheap defenceman. Brown is part of the group projected to make the opening night lineup, but the Oilers will have Travis Dermott and Troy Stecher sitting on the sidelines. Both Dermott and Stecher have played more NHL games for better teams, in the playoffs, and have posted better results overall. It would hurt the Oilers to waste these players on the sidelines if Brown is on the ice struggling every night.

Thankfully the Oilers didn't give Brown a higher salary. Even if this contract does turn out to be a mistake, it's a low enough salary to be buried in the minors and not affect the team. Hopefully the make the right lineup choices based on merit and not contract, but they'll have to give Brown a shot too.