Oilers' Connor Brown is set to hit his lucrative contract bonus

Edmonton Oilers forward Connor Brown is about to make a good amount of money.

When the Oilers signed Brown, many were shocked to see that the cap hit on the deal was just $775,000. Shortly after, however, it was discovered that his deal had a bonus clause of $3.225 million, which he would hit after only playing in 10 games.

While Oilers fans were still happy with the deal even in spite of the extremely easy-to-hit bonus, they quickly became weary of it after Brown’s slow start. The 29-year-old, who tore his ACL just four games into the 2022-23 season, has gone pointless through nine games in Edmonton. His play has been so bad that fans were even discussing the possibility of sending him to the AHL so that he wouldn’t hit his bonus, thus keeping it off of next year’s salary cap.

Talk surrounding Brown’s bonus became all the more interesting when, in a game against the Dallas Stars earlier this month, the feisty winger was forced to leave due to injury. It came on a non-contact play, which led many to believe it could be something long-term.

While Brown was forced to miss some time, he is expected to make his return to the lineup tomorrow afternoon versus the Tampa Bay Lightning. Assuming that is the case, he will indeed get his $3.225 million bonus, which will be on the Oilers’ books for next season.

Given how tight they have been against the cap in recent years, it is far from ideal, especially with how he has been performing thus far. That said, there is plenty of season to go, and if Brown can end up turning into the player the Oilers had thought they were getting, there is still a good chance for this signing to wind up being a success.

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