Confirmed with Link: Oilers sign Connor Brown to 1-year incentive laden deal ($775K caphit, potentially $3.25M in bonuses)

[AddyTheWrath]

I

I took over a month off after the playoffs and now I'm wondering why I'm even back here haha.

lol True that

I’m basically here because Twitter is down or has turned to shit

Miss the posters that were willing to engage in rational discussions but they’re overshadowed by a vocal minority

 

[CupofOil]

Whatever ones opinion on the respective players we've lost 3 starting players to this point and added one. unless one counts Drake Caggiulia pt 3, good god...lol

Come on Drive, you hated Yamamoto more than everybody and now they're worse off without him?

Holloway will have to replace what Kostin brought. He's a mid 1st round pick from 3 drafts ago, it's time for him to start paying dividends.
Bjugstad was fine but he was mostly a neutral player. Hopefully they can still find a #4C to replace him but not a big loss by any means.

The reality is that this is a very good team, a contender, arguably a top 5 team in the league so ultimately it will come down to a combination of the team bearing down in the key moments in the playoffs (it really only came down to few minute lapses in 2 games against the Knights) and luck quite frankly. On paper, they should be on that list of contenders. I also fully expect a significant upgrade at the deadline so the roster we see on opening night likely won't be the one that starts the playoffs.

The bottom line is, in a flat cap world, we knew the Oilers were going to lose a few guys. That's the case with a lot of contenders, but none of the losses are significant enough to throw them off the rails as much as I liked Kostin in particular.

BTW, you're going to love Brown. He's exactly the type of player you love watching. High work rate, strong 2 way game, intense grinder.

 

[Mr Positive]

Not even a comparable situation. This is more like one of Chiarelli's classic moves.

Even if Connor Brown is good, even that sucks (unless you win the Cup) because you can't keep him and you have to pay him next year to not be here.

This is not some master class innovation, this like robbing ... from yourself. A GM knowing he's probably not coming back next year basically stole cap room from the next GM to make up for the fact that he has no cap space because he grossly overspent on several bad contracts.

But look at the situation. This can be completely made up for by pushing for at least 2 years for McLeod and Bouchard. This is a gamble on the cap going up by 5+ million. The only key player to re-sign next season is Broberg. And yes, potentially Brown. Also Desharnais

Also... Foegele comes off.

So that's 3.25 stolen if things go well with Brown, assuming a 5 million cap rise. So that's a 1.75 rise for our cap. With Fogele off that's a 4.5 rise. Also, it might be a much bigger cap increase than 5 next season.

Also, it's worth noting that maybe we could trade someone like Ceci, Kulak or Campbell

 

[CROTT]

But look at the situation. This can be completely made up for by pushing for at least 2 years for McLeod and Bouchard. This is a gamble on the cap going up by 5+ million. The only key player to re-sign next season is Broberg. And yes, potentially Brown. Also Desharnais

Also... Foegele comes off.

So that's 3.25 stolen if things go well with Brown, assuming a 5 million cap rise. So that's a 1.75 rise for our cap. With Fogele off that's a 4.5 rise. Also, it might be a much bigger cap increase than 5 next season.

Also, it's worth noting that maybe we could trade someone like Ceci, Kulak or Campbell

The thing to remember is the Oilers still have to replace Brown and Foegele, odds are that will heavily eat up that 4.5 million. It’s not completely free cap players still have to be signed to fill the vacant positions in the top nine.

And that 3.25 million bonus is far from if things go well, Brown could play the majority of the season and score 10ish goals that’s a complete waste.

 

[Drivesaitl]

Come on Drive, you hated Yamamoto more than everybody and now they're worse off without him?

Holloway will have to replace what Kostin brought. He's a mid 1st round pick from 3 drafts ago, it's time for him to start paying dividends.
Bjugstad was fine but he was mostly a neutral player. Hopefully they can still find a #4C to replace him but not a big loss by any means.

The reality is that this is a very good team, a contender, arguably a top 5 team in the league so ultimately it will come down to a combination of the team bearing down in the key moments in the playoffs (it really only came down to few minute lapses in 2 games against the Knights) and luck quite frankly. On paper, they should be on that list of contenders. I also fully expect a significant upgrade at the deadline so the roster we see on opening night likely won't be the one that starts the playoffs.

The bottom line is, in a flat cap world, we knew the Oilers were going to lose a few guys. That's the case with a lot of contenders, but none of the losses are significant enough to throw them off the rails as much as I liked Kostin in particular.

BTW, you're going to love Brown. He's exactly the type of player you love watching. High work rate, strong 2 way game, intense grinder.

You know that Kostin is the one I'm grieving and with your avatar and signature you know why. He was a rare bird of a fan favorite on and off the ice and the kind you just love for his pure joy of the game, the fans, etc. Gonna take awhile. Grieving does. Nor as some mention am I always like that with a player. Its actually rarer in these days to find a throwback. Brown has never really stood out to me in the games I watched. For instance watched every game in the Covid year. Really with not much to do I was watching every Canadian team. Just being honest he wasn't a player I even noticed for Ottawa. I never iso'd on him but he didn't stand out to me. Didn't see him at all in Toronto.

Brown did score 3 goals against us in the Canadian division shortened season though so I must've not paid good enough attention. WE beat Ottawa everytime though so the goals wouldn't have been too notable.

 

[Kanedogg]

Not even a comparable situation. This is more like one of Chiarelli's classic moves.

Even if Connor Brown is good, even that sucks (unless you win the Cup) because you can't keep him and you have to pay him next year to not be here.

This is not some master class innovation, this like robbing ... from yourself. A GM knowing he's probably not coming back next year basically stole cap room from the next GM to make up for the fact that he has no cap space because he grossly overspent on several bad contracts.

2 years ago Holland had the reminents of three contracts. Mcdavid, drai and Koskinen. You could argue Neal as well but we had the best 2 contracts in the league locked up for 8 years.

Everyone else from Darnell nurse to Mike Smith to nuge is 100% on Holland.

This is the team he built and he has no cap space it's entirely on him and the decisions he's made. I can't believe the gaps the team still has and I see zero chance he's here next year.

 

[Mr Positive]

Is it 10 NHL

the thing to remember is the Oilers still have to replace Brown and Foegele, odds are that will heavily eat up that 4.5 million. It’s not completely free cap players still have to be signed to fill the vacant positions in the top nine.

Someone like Foegele could be replaced by a much cheaper player. Maybe that's Holloway's eventual spot. It might also put more pressure on Holland to find the next cheap deal.

Utimately I always look for what the plan could be. Making a "bad" decision might not be a bad decision in full context. Ultimately the big picture of cap management is all that matters. (that's also why I don't mind what Detroit did this time. They have some overpayments, but they upgraded their team and can afford it).

I see a plan here with this. I know it would have been exciting to get that full 5+ million in space show up next offseason. It's fun to anticipate some great player we could add then. Except, we need that cap so much more for McLeod and Bouchard right now, and signing a big name player next offseason makes little sense with Draisaitl's contract extension looming.

 

[Drivesaitl]

For sure they would if his surgery wasn’t effective and he can’t compete at this level. The player expects it too, as he agreed on the contract parameters. This is a special contract that is rarely signed in the league, union and players both realize that.

4 contracts just like that were signed but the others with notable star players. Krejci, Bergeron, Patch.

Disagree on your notion. Not who the agent is for Brown but noise would be made if the Oilers pull the plug on their assessment, or park him in Bakersfield or something like that. Not sure how clause specific the contract is on any of that. We didn't hear about the 10 game aspect until this evening. Keeping in mind there could be controversy over the teams own medical staff assessment and a 2nd opinion. Would be far from the first time.

 

[CROTT]

You know that Kostin is the one I'm grieving and with your avatar and signature you know why. He was a rare bird of a fan on and off the ice and the kind you just love for his pure joy of the game, the fans, etc. Gonna take awhile. Grieving does. Nor as some mention am I always like that with a player. Its actually rarer in these days to find a throwback. Brown has never really stood out to me in the games I watched. For instance watched every game in the Covid year. Really with not much to do I was watching every Canadian team. Just being honest he wasn't a player I even noticed for Ottawa. I never iso'd on him but he didn't stand out to me. Didn't see him at all in Toronto.

Brown did score 3 goals against us in the Canadian division shortened season though so I must've not paid good enough attention. WE beat Ottawa everytime though so the goals wouldn't have been too notable.

Players goal totals on lottery teams always worry me, at the NHL confidence is king. It’s easier to be confident when a player is given a great opportunity with little expectations and little risk or pressure. Look at Oilers great Ryan Potulny for example sometimes everything just goes right. We will be forced to see if 20/21 Brown shows up or he scores a career average of 15ish goals.

​

 

[alphahelix]

2 years ago Holland had the reminents of three contracts. Mcdavid, drai and Koskinen. You could argue Neal as well but we had the best 2 contracts in the league locked up for 8 years.

Everyone else from Darnell nurse to Mike Smith to nuge is 100% on Holland.

This is the team he built and he has no cap space it's entirely on him and the decisions he's made. I can't believe the gaps the team still has and I see zero chance he's here next year.

it is pretty crazy that we needed a long term 1G solution, bonafide top line wingers and a top pairing D when he came in and we've spent a ton of money since then but im still not sure if we have any of those situations at an ideal level.

 

[CupofOil]

You know that Kostin is the one I'm grieving and with your avatar and signature you know why. He was a rare bird of a fan favorite on and off the ice and the kind you just love for his pure joy of the game, the fans, etc. Gonna take awhile. Grieving does. Nor as some mention am I always like that with a player. Its actually rarer in these days to find a throwback. Brown has never really stood out to me in the games I watched. For instance watched every game in the Covid year. Really with not much to do I was watching every Canadian team. Just being honest he wasn't a player I even noticed for Ottawa. I never iso'd on him but he didn't stand out to me. Didn't see him at all in Toronto.

Brown did score 3 goals against us in the Canadian division shortened season though so I must've not paid good enough attention. WE beat Ottawa everytime though so the goals wouldn't have been too notable.

I'm with you fully on Kostin. I just left a 3 word post in the Kostin trade thread "I am sad". I loved the guy, the energy he brought with his infectious personality, his unique skillset with size, some sneaky skill, physicality, seemed like a great guy who had all the right stuff but the reality at the end of the day is that Kostin being here or not isn't making or breaking their Cup chances. I believe that Holloway can fill that void from an effectiveness standpoint if not exceed him in terms of two way play and upside. Doesn't mean that I don't wish that they couldn't work something with Kostin but it's time to move on and look forward now.

That's the NHL business, don't get too attached to players that are expendable. It sucks but it is what it is.
Now I need to search for a new avatar, could take some time to let Klim go completely.

 

[tinfish]

I

lol True that

I’m basically here because Twitter is down or has turned to shit

Miss the posters that were willing to engage in rational discussions but they’re overshadowed by a vocal minority

I prefer r/hockey now. I appreciate other people doing the work of down voting stupid posts. That way I don't have to read them. This signing has been universally praised by the media and on reddit. You come here and people think the sky is falling. Like someone else mentioned though, it's really just a handful of posters that can't seem to grasp why this signing is structured the way it is.

 

[tiger_80]

Don't get it. Is there a reason we couldn't structure a Kostin deal in this way or is it just with incoming players? I'm cap impaired. lol

I'm kind of meh on losing Kostin and potentially paying more for a guy that I never noticed. All I know is Brown just missed an entire season due to a serious knee injury, complete ACL tear. So we're even getting damaged goods and betting on it.

Brown actually has a track record, although he missed the entire season. I think the fans are bit blind to Kostin's limitations. THey look at his goals this season and see a surefire top 6 forward. In reality he was a 4th liner picked off waivers who may continue to develop or may stagnate or regress. Jay-Poo put up 36 points just last season, ftr. I'd be surprised if he ever plays in the NHL.

 

[tiger_80]

2 years ago Holland had the reminents of three contracts. Mcdavid, drai and Koskinen. You could argue Neal as well but we had the best 2 contracts in the league locked up for 8 years.

Everyone else from Darnell nurse to Mike Smith to nuge is 100% on Holland.

This is the team he built and he has no cap space it's entirely on him and the decisions he's made. I can't believe the gaps the team still has and I see zero chance he's here next year.

He obviously banked on the salary cap rising, then covid happened. He assembled a decent team, though some contracts have been assinine (Nurse overpaid by about 2 million, Campbell). Foegele's looks better this year, but not a bargain, which you need in your bottom six. Kassian, Jay-Poo, Yamamoto are now all gone, albeit at a high cost.

 

[McDoused]

Wahhhhhhhhhh


Were trying to win now


Wahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh

 

[Gordian Knot]

People act like Brown would be here no matter what? If he doesn't work right way, he can be dealt to other team in part of some package to get 1RW for end of the season and playoffs, no? This signing is not sunking us, Campbell needs to play like starting goalies play or we don't get anywhere.

He is PK guy to save Connor and Leon minutes to 5-5 game more and stop gap for Holloway/Lavoie/Bourgault/1RW, to get us the Cup.

Isn't bonus cap moving to other team cap if CB is traded during the season? Get that straight before dooming next season, please.

 

[Spawn]

Wahhhhhhhhhh


Were trying to win now


Wahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh

Not with Ceci on the top pairing and Campbell and Skinner in net we aren't

 

[Captain Fantastic]

Really have to ask ourselves what Connor Brown would get in the open market? Most players covet term in their contract. This guy is coming here on a one year deal on an unsusual bonus structured contract. His last contract was through arbritration at a 3year 3.6M AAV contract with these last two years being at 4M. So essentially he's getting the same money but with no term.

I know he got injured and some may find it a risk but apparently he is training normally this summer. Regardless of the injury, I think he could have got at least a couple of years of term and the same money with another team. No ?

Even TSN was raving about the player and the contract so I think Holland made a good move here considering how tight the cap is.

From the Edmonton Sun:
"
Brown, who played junior hockey with McDavid and was teammates with Hyman in Toronto, is a two-time 20-goal scorer who averaged 39 points a season over his last three full seasons.
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 also 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."

 

[McDoused]

Not with Ceci on the top pairing and Campbell and Skinner in net we aren't

Because every team is perfect.

If Ceci and Campbell bounce back I can't think of too many teams that are any better.

 

[Spawn]

Because every team is perfect.

If Ceci and Campbell bounce back I can't think of too many teams that are any better.

And in the real world where Campbell continues to be a mental midget and Ceci continues to be the 4/5 d-man he's always been?

 

[tiger_80]

Not with Ceci on the top pairing and Campbell and Skinner in net we aren't

Ceci was never on the first pairing in the playoffs. He averaged just over 20 mins a night during the regular season and less than 19 during the playoffs. That's way behind Nurse, Bouchard and Ekholm.

 

[Shanahanigans]

Brown is a useful player, but adding a dead 3.5 million to next year’s cap as well as bridging Bouchard are both terrible ideas. Holland can’t get out of his own way.

 

[Spawn]

Ceci was never on the first pairing in the playoffs. He averaged just over 20 mins a night during the regular season and less than 19 during the playoffs. That's way behind Nurse, Bouchard and Ekholm.

Fine

Not with Bouchard and Ceci both in the top 4

Does that semantic make you feel better?

 

[tiger_80]

Come on Drive, you hated Yamamoto more than everybody and now they're worse off without him?

Holloway will have to replace what Kostin brought. He's a mid 1st round pick from 3 drafts ago, it's time for him to start paying dividends.
Bjugstad was fine but he was mostly a neutral player. Hopefully they can still find a #4C to replace him but not a big loss by any means.

The reality is that this is a very good team, a contender, arguably a top 5 team in the league so ultimately it will come down to a combination of the team bearing down in the key moments in the playoffs (it really only came down to few minute lapses in 2 games against the Knights) and luck quite frankly. On paper, they should be on that list of contenders. I also fully expect a significant upgrade at the deadline so the roster we see on opening night likely won't be the one that starts the playoffs.

The bottom line is, in a flat cap world, we knew the Oilers were going to lose a few guys. That's the case with a lot of contenders, but none of the losses are significant enough to throw them off the rails as much as I liked Kostin in particular.

BTW, you're going to love Brown. He's exactly the type of player you love watching. High work rate, strong 2 way game, intense grinder.

Basically, Brown in, Kostin out. Yamamoto can be replaced internally by Holloway or whoever. Bjugstad was a deadline addition, so it's not like they got worse compared with last season. Arguably are better because Ekholm will be on the team from the start of the season.

Fine

Not with Bouchard and Ceci both in the top 4

Does that semantic make you feel better?

The top 4 is fine, imho. The OIlers suffered because Desharnais was getting eaten alive. And let's be honest, they lost to a very good team, in a series that could go another way. If Nurse did not get suspended and the Oilers won game 5, maybe we'd now be talking about the genius of Holland, Bouchard's elite offense, and Skinner's terrific rookie year.

 

[Spawn]

The top 4 is fine, imho. The OIlers suffered because Desharnais was getting eaten alive. And let's be honest, they lost to a very good team, in a series that could go another way. If Nurse did not get suspended and the Oilers won game 5, maybe we'd now be talking about the genius of Holland, Bouchard's elite offense, and Skinner's terrific rookie year.

Desharnais was 0 +/- against Vegas

Ceci was -7

And I hate to break it to you... but Nurse did get suspended for game 5... and no one is talking about Skinner's terrific rookie season because he collapsed like a deck of cards in the playoffs and no one is talking about "the genius" of Holland because he's continues to leave gaping holes on the roster.