Connor Brown Signing With Edmonton Oilers Is A Sweet Deal For Both Sides

NHL
Hockey
Edmonton Oilers

Published Jul 01, 2023 • Last updated 6 minutes ago • 3 minute read

Ottawa Senators forward Connor Brown (28) and Edmonton Oilers defencemen Ethan Bear (74) chase a loose puck at Rogers Place in this file photo from Dec 4, 2019. Photo by Perry Nelson /USA Today Sports

It’s not often that a team can sign a tenacious top-six right winger for just a $775,000 cap hit, but the stars aligned perfectly for the Edmonton Oilers and Connor Brown.

In signing the 29-year-old to a one-year deal on the first day of free agency Saturday, Edmonton GM Ken Holland managed to fill a pressing need with what little money he had to work with.

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The contract is one year and $4 million, but only $775,000 will count toward this year’s salary cap. The rest is $3.25 million in performance bonuses which, if he hits them, won’t count until next season when the salary cap is expected to take a significant jump.

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Since Brown has more than 400 career games to his credit and missed all but four games last year because of a season-ending knee injury, he is eligible for a bonus-laden contract, which fits perfectly with Edmonton’s money situation.

It’s also a great opportunity for Brown: he can come to Edmonton, play next to a couple of the best players in the world, spike his numbers the same way Zach Hyman has and be in a great bargaining position when his contract is up next summer.

He might also win a Stanley Cup and, if he hits his bonuses, he gets his $4 million.

It’s a pretty sweet deal for both sides.

“I’m pumped, it’s a great opportunity for me, coming off an injury and play on a team that’s looking to get over the top and get the job done,” said Brown.

“I’m excited to come in there and make a difference next year.”

Brown, who played Junior hockey with Oilers captain Connor McDavid and was teammates with Hyman in Toronto, is a two-time 20-goal scorer who averaged 39 points a year over his last three full seasons.

He said in a recent interview that coming to Edmonton has always been on his radar. Now that the money can work, he’s here.

“I want to win and I’ve known Connor for a long time and I know he wants to win badly,” said Brown. “That’s the environment I want to be in coming off an injury and wanting to get back on track.

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“I know they have guys like Zach Hyman and Darnell Nurse and McLeod, who played for my dad (in minor hockey), so I kind of know the character of guys who are in that room and I’m excited to be joining it.”

Brown also has the versatility to move up and down the right side. He has skill enough to be a complementary player in the top six but also plays with enough grit and tenacity to be effective further down the lineup if necessary. He isn’t big at six-foot and 181 pounds, but he plays with some bite, which is exactly what the Oilers need.

He’s also an established penalty killer with eight career shorthanded goals.

The question remains, however, about the state of his game in the wake of an ACL tear and subsequent surgery just four games into last season. By all accounts the knee is fine and Brown has been training like normal this summer.

He likes the situation he’s coming to in Edmonton, one that McDavid lobbied for as well.

“When the best player in the world wants you on their team and think that you can help them get over the hump it means a lot after what was a tough season,” said Brown.

Later in the day, the Oilers re-acquired forward Drake Caggiula for some organizational depth, signing the 29-year-old to a two-year, two-way contract worth $775,000 a year.

Caggiula is a seven-year NHL veteran, having played 282 games with Pittsburgh, Buffalo, Arizona, Chicago and Edmonton. He put up 91 points in 282 career games, including 27 goals over three seasons in Edmonton. He spent most of last season with Pittsburgh’s minor league team.

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