The Edmonton Oilers have a slight problem on their hands with defenceman Josh Brown, who's struggled mightily so far.
Josh Brown is a 6'5 defenceman, and his game heavily relies on using his size as his best asset. However, that isn't how Paul Coffey envisions his defence playing. Recently, Oilers defenceman Travis Dermott spoke about how Coffey wants the defence to play.
"I think [Coffey] is behind me, giving me tips and telling me to get up on the play pretty much every shift I'm out there. So that really goes far for players. I don't know how many people behind the TV can really see that, but it speaks volumes for the type of guy he is."
- Travis Dermott
Throughout last season and early in this year, Coffey has been vocal about his defenceman to be able to make plays to move the puck. The Oilers have incredible success doing so, because that means moving the puck to their elite forwards. The big problem is, Brown simply is not a player who moves the puck well. Brown has been ranked the third worst defenceman in the NHL by xGF%, and fans have already noticed how often he's turning the puck over.
Brown is 30 years old and has played 290 career NHL games. At this point, he is who he is - it's not like he's going to become a master passer. The Oilers coaching staff either needs to find a way for him to be effective in a more limited shutdown defence role, because asking him to continue to make creative passes is borderline irresponsible. Vincent Desharnais was able to be an effective player in a similar role, but he was removed from the lineup deep into the playoffs.
The Oilers contract to Josh Brown is looking like a mistake before the regular season even begins, but still he will be in the opening night lineup to give him a fair shot. At this point though, the Oilers have seen enough that he can't live up to Coffey's coaching expectations. They'll have to find something else to solve a minor problem on their blue line.
