The Edmonton Oilers may have a minor problem on their hands with defenceman Josh Brown.
The Oilers signed the 30 year old defenceman Brown to a three year concract for $3M this offseason, and it seems they slotted him in for the opening lineup. Unfortunately Brown has been seriously struggling in the preseason, and the Oilers have other quality depth defenders like Travis Dermott and Troy Stecher on the roster.
It may be possible that one Stecher or Dermott makes the team over Brown, which will force the Oilers to send him down to the AHL. For now however, the 2 Mutts Hockey Podcast is saying that Brown has bought a house in Edmonton and will begin on the roster no matter what.
"Josh Brown is an interesting story to follow, he signed a 3 year deal & he bought a new house in EDM a few weeks ago. The Coaching staff is high on him. Good guy & good character. We can't see him going to the AHL yet"
- 2 Mutts Hockey Podcast
We all want Josh Brown to turn it around, but there should be no guarantees on an NHL roster that wants to win the Stanley Cup. However there is credible concern that he isn't the best option for the Oilers. Out of 192 defenceman that have played since 2021-22, Josh Brown ranks third last in xGF%. It's not just this preseason that Brown has been struggling - this is who he is. At 30 years old, the Oilers coaching staff would have to work a miracle on him to buck the trends.
The hope is that Brown can excel in a physical shut down role similar to Vincent Desharnais. The 6'5 right shot defender should at least be clearing bodies from the net front and disrupting cycles in the defensive zone. Right now though, plenty of fans are concerned with the Brown signing.
The Oilers can start with Brown on the opening night roster and see how it goes, but just because he's bought a house and was given term on his contract isn't a guarantee for ice time. It may be a tough decision to make personally, but the Oilers may need to send Brown to the minors to be the best possible team this year.
