Oilers may soon be forced to place Connor Brown on waivers
The Edmonton Oilers may soon be forced to make an extremely difficult decision on Connor Brown.
Brown was considered the Oilers biggest add this offseason after he agreed to a one-year, $775,000 deal in free agency. While the cap hit is extremely team-friendly, it carries a bonus of $3.25 million that will count against the Oilers’ cap next season should he play in 10 games. That seemed like a bonus he would gather with ease, but that may no longer be the case.
While excitement was sky-high amongst Oilers fans regarding Brown’s signing, there was a hint of doubt as well. That doubt was due to the fact that the 29-year-old played in just four games last season before tearing his ACL. Though he claims he is feeling back to 100% in terms of health, his game hasn’t been at the level the Oilers had hoped, as he has zero points through six games.
Given Brown’s struggles, paired with the Oilers tight cap situation, there has been chatter that the team may be forced to make a difficult decision and place him on waivers. That would see him fall short of hitting 10 games on the season, therefore preventing the Oilers from having to deal with his $3.25 million bonus on next season’s cap.
It is a difficult position for the Oilers to be in, as it is quite cutthroat to consider parting ways with your biggest offseason signing less than 10 games into the season. That said, there is real concern that Brown may no longer be the same calibre player he was prior to his injury. In a perfect world, it would be great to give him a larger sample size to try and get back to the level he was playing at prior, but with his contract situation, it may not be an option.
What this means for Brown is that if he hopes to remain an Oiler, he needs to really pick up his play over these next few games. His first opportunity to get on the scoresheet will come tonight as he and his Oilers teammates take on the New York Rangers. Puck drop is set for 7 pm MT.
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