Oilers recall AHL defenceman with Nurse potentially out
The Edmonton Oilers have recalled a defenceman from the AHL’s Bakersfield Condors just a day after Darnell Nurse a game with an injury.
Nurse, who was the victim of a brutal headshot from Toronto Maple Leafs’ enforcer Ryan Reaves on Saturday night, might be missing some additional time, leaving the Oilers with no choice but to call up another defender.
The team announced this afternoon that they had called up veteran defenceman Josh Brown.
The #Oilers have recalled defenceman Josh Brown from the @Condors. pic.twitter.com/H2PS7OXDMv
— Edmonton Oilers (@EdmontonOilers) November 17, 2024
Brown signed a three-year deal with the Oilers over the summer that carried an AAV of $1 million. He was initially expected to be on Edmonton’s roster to open the season, but a lacklustre camp had been overtaken by Troy Stecher and Travis Dermott on the depth chart. As a result, he was sent down to the AHL where he has two assists in 12 games to start the season.
His most attractive talent is his ability to be a physical presence on the blue line. Despite only being in the AHL for a short time, he has managed to drop the gloves four times. The latest was against Nathan Gaucher of the San Diego Gulls.
Josh Brown absolutely fed Nathan Gaucher his lunch 😳@Condors | #LetsGoOilers pic.twitter.com/K5EWPOOwr7
— Missin Curfew (@MissinCurfew) November 17, 2024
Brown is a big-body at six-foot-five and 217lbs and while he may be a tough player to fight against, there is plenty of question marks surrounding his on-ice ability at the NHL level. He had an absolutely terrible year with the Arizona Coyotes last season and did not do much to inspire in his first Oilers training camp.
It remains a mystery as to why the Oilers decided to give Brown such a favourable contract this summer. With Nurse out, it would make sense for Brett Kulak and Ty Emberson to get more minutes while Brown works alongside Stecher and Dermott to fill out the third pairing for the time being.
We’ll see if Brown can do something to change the narrative around his play.