Oilers Have a Decision to Make With Josh Brown This Season

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There’s no question the Oilers already have a stellar defensive corps. They are a huge part of why they had the season they previously had. And to top it off, they have a great crop of young talent on the way up that is hungry for the next open spot. While this is a good thing for the organization, it’s not so good for someone like Brown. He is an in-between guy; not a young guy coming up or an established veteran with a spot waiting for him.

Brown is on the wrong side of 30, and it doesn’t seem like the coaching staff has the desire to give him much of a long leash. Between all the skill they already have and the young guns waiting in the ranks, Brown is among a crowded group with no guarantees of anything. He’ll need to really show something to break away from the others, but as history has shown, that may not be his style.

Not Much to Show For

Brown’s defensive skills and toughness have always been fairly good; there’s no doubt there. But since those skills are not up to par with the starting defencemen and his offence is definitely on the lower end, the numbers aren’t exactly in his favour going into year eight in the league.

Offence has never been Brown’s strong suit. As mentioned, he had just one point last season with Edmonton, with his career-high being 10 points in 51 games with the Arizona Coyotes in the 2023-24 season. Other than that, he scores in the single digits and plays in the defensive end. That’s all well and good, except his defence could still be improved.

His best defensive season also came in the 2023-24 campaign when he posted just a plus-2 with only eight takeaways. And it’s clear coaches aren’t eager to put him out there in high-leverage situations when in his best season, his average time-on-ice (TOI) was only 14:45. Things need to change at both ends of the ice for Brown if he wants another shot to make the most of the last two years on his deal.

What the Oilers Can Do

So, with the big obstacles noted, it leaves the Oilers with the dilemma of what to do with their free agent acquisition from last year. There are options on the table, but they don’t want to just lose him for nothing, either. Something like a buyout is always the last resort.

Their first and easiest option is to let Brown anchor the d-core and be a leader and veteran presence for them in the farm system. He was the oldest defender on the backend last season for the Bakersfield Condors and will likely be again this season. His experience will be valuable for the young guns who aspire to have a regular role for an NHL squad someday soon. While this forces the Oilers to continue paying his $1 million salary in the American Hockey League (AHL), it could prove valuable in the long run.

Edmonton’s other option, the nuclear of the two, would be a trade. What the trade looks like is hard to speculate at this point. He could be simply swapped for draft capital or a young prospect to put some newer talent in the system. Brown could also be used later in the season as a trade chip at the deadline if the Oilers are in contention and are looking to load up for another deep playoff run.

Despite some of his downfalls, he is still an overall solid player who can potentially play third-pair minutes or be the top pair on an AHL team. The Oilers would just have to find the right trading partner.

Whatever Edmonton decides to do, a solution will eventually have to be found; not only for the sake of Brown’s career and his own peace of mind, but also so the Oilers can move forward without a player sitting on the bubble of the pros and the minors.