A depth player who has come up clutch for the Edmonton Oilers in the past might be moving on.
According to multiple reports, forward Connor Brown is expected to go to free agency.
Brown has been a member of the Oilers since he signed with the team in July 2023. He’s been with the team on a pair of one-year contracts, with this past year’s deal costing the team just $1 million. This came after Brown had a cap hit of $775,000 during the 2023-24 season, but his AAV jumped up to $4 million thanks to him meeting the criteria for his performance bonuses.
Many expect the Toronto native to receive a pay bump if he hits the market, hence his decision to test the open market, despite enjoying his time as an Oiler.
Prior to coming to Edmonton, Brown had some injury problems that limited him to just playing four games for the Washington Capitals during the 2022-23 campaign. Yet, once he found his groove with the Oilers, he began to resemble the player who was a significant contributor with the Ottawa Senators a few years ago.
Brown notched a few points during Edmonton’s initial run to the Stanley Cup final in 2024, scoring a big shorthanded goal in Game 5 against the Florida Panthers. This year, despite missing time due to injury, the 31-year-old posted a career-high five goals and nine points in 20 postseason games. Ultimately, the Oilers fell short once again, losing to the Panthers in six games.
During the 2024-25 regular season, Brown appeared in all 82 games for just the third time in his career, scoring 13 goals and 17 assists for 30 points. In 153 regular-season games in Edmonton, he notched 17 goals and 25 assists for 42 points.
In 601 career NHL games, Brown has posted 107 goals and 151 assists for 258 points. He’s also scored eight goals and 20 points in 59 playoff games.
According to CapWages, the Oilers have approximately $15.6 million in cap space for next season. However, the team still needs to address Evan Bouchard’s contract extension, along with a couple of other pending free agents the team might be interested in keeping around.