Oilers Make Roster Move to Call Up Defenceman After Darnell Nurse Injury
The Edmonton Oilers have announced that defenceman Josh Brown has been recalled from the Bakersfield Condors, joining the NHL team after the injury to Darnell Nurse.
This may not be good news for Darnell Nurse's health status after taking a predatory hit from Ryan Reaves last game. The Oilers have since said that Nurse was alert and in good spirits, but calling up another replacement means Nurse will likely miss time with injury.
Nurse was looking wobbly getting up and off the ice after the hit from Reaves, and the hit was directly to the head. The immediate concern will be a concussion injury, where it's unpredictable when Nurse could return.
Thats why for now, Josh Brown will be joining the team in Nurse's absence. The Edmonton Oilers signed Brown to a 3 year contract in the offseason, but it's already gone horribly wrong.
Brown played so poorly in the preseason that the Oilers were forced to send him to the AHL despite committing to him for three years. Instead, the Oilers quickly corrected by signing Travis Dermott as the 7th defenceman.
The 30-year old Josh Brown has played 290 career NHL games with the Panthers, Senators, Bruins, and Coyotes. He's a fairly one dimensional player with his physical presence, and really struggles to make a quality first pass.
Oilers fans have been rightfully critical of Darnell Nurse's play since signing his $9.25M deal, but the reality is that he plays over 20 minutes each night. Without Nurse, the Oilers will be in even bigger defensive trouble - hopefully, the depth can help the Oilers survive this time.
However many games Josh Brown suits up in, they will be critical for him personally to re-establish himself as an NHL player. That will be some solid motivation for him to bring his absolute best.
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