Healthy scratch? Connor Brown looks to be odd man out for Oilers
The Edmonton Oilers look like they are finally running out of patience with forward Connor Brown’s slow start to the season.
At Wednesday morning’s practice in New Jersey, Oilers head coach Kris Knoblauch once again pulled out the blender for his forward lines, with Brown acting as the extra forward. Tony Brar with Oilers TV was able to share the new lines on social media.
Oilers practice in New Jersey:
RNH – McDavid – Hyman
Kane – Draisaitl – Foegele
Janmark – McLeod – Gagner
Erne – Hamblin – Ryan
BrownNurse – Ceci
Ekholm – Bouchard
Kulak – Desharnais
Gleason#Oilers— Tony Brar (@TonyBrarOTV) December 20, 2023
Brown has been a major disappointment for the Oilers this season. He was brought in to be an impactful top-six forward but has only managed a single assist in 23 games. At this point, it’s getting close to calling this signing a complete failure for Edmonton and has opened up another hole for the team at right-wing.
At #Oilers practice in New Jersey, appears Connor Brown will be a healthy scratch on Thursday night against #njdevils.
— Frank Seravalli (@frank_seravalli) December 20, 2023
As for other lineup changes, the Oilers decided to reunite their former first line of Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, Connor McDavid, and Zach Hyman. This comes after one game apart as the team tried to spread the offence throughout the lineup, which didn’t work as the Oilers dropped a 3-1 decision to the New York Islanders on Tuesday night.
The second line will once again feature Evander Kane, Leon Draisaitl, and Warren Foegele, a trio that has been struggling in both the offensive and defensive zones lately. The hope is that Draisaitl can get back to his old self sooner rather than later.
On the third line, Brown has been replaced by veteran Sam Gagner alongside Ryan McLeod and Mattias Janmark. Gagner has been a fan favourite on the team this year and has performed well during his third stint with the Oilers.
Adam Erne looks like he will draw back into the lineup after being a healthy scratch for the past eight games. He will anchor the fourth line beside James Hamblin and Derek Ryan.
As for who will get the start in goal tomorrow night against the New Jersey Devils, Knoblauch confirmed that Calvin Pickard will get the nod, while Stuart Skinner will start on Friday against the New York Rangers.
Tomorrow’s tilt with the Devils is an early one for Edmonton fans, with puck drop scheduled for 5:30 pm MT.