Oilers on Verge Of Key Decision With Returning Connor Brown

In a highly anticipated return, Connor Brown is set to rejoin the Edmonton Oilers’ lineup for Saturday’s game against the Tampa Bay Lightning. Expressing his excitement after practice on Friday, Brown, who lead the post-practice stretch, is likely to be slotted onto the top line alongside Connor McDavid for his comeback.

Brown’s bonus will be added to the salary cap for the next year as an overage from the current campaign, given this is his tenth game of the season. The fact that Brown worked out in a line with Ryan Nugent-Hopkins and Connor McDavid, as noted by Jason Gregor of Oilers Nation, underscores the urgency with which he must return to the form he displayed in the five games that preceded his groin injury.

What if he doesn’t, though?

In the future, how much of a leash does Connor Brown have?
The seasoned forward was sidelined for a short while during a recent game against the Dallas Stars due to a “lower-body injury.” He was playing well up to that point, but he had scored hardly anything offensively. He failed to score in nine games.

The league minimum wage for Brown is $775k, and he will receive $3.225 million in performance bonuses if he plays 10 games in the 2023–24 season. The Oilers signed Brown to a $4 million, one-year deal over the offseason. The tenth game will be this one versus Tampa.

The injury put any prospective plans for that (if it was ever actually being considered) on hold, despite early-season fan speculation that the Oilers may attempt to find a clever method to defer payment until the player started contributing. The Oilers are now trying to get him back into his own rhythm while the team is performing better.

But concerns about Brown’s play and the Oilers’ alternatives should he not rapidly recover form remain. Given the guaranteed bonus and the need to increase offensive output, it is unclear how patient the team will be if he struggles. Putting him on waivers seems counterproductive and dangerous because another club may claim him atMcDavid, who is rumored to have played a significant role in Brown signing the contract, is a former Erie Otter’s teammate of Brown. The assumption would be that McDavid wants him on the team and that treating Brown poorly might have lasting repercussions. At the same time, there’s already a narrative out there that McDavid is trying combat and, frankly, has upset him.