The Oilers are adding some extra depth on the back end to their roster as they begin a four-game road trip tonight in Seattle. The team announced (Twitter link) that they’ve recalled defenseman Josh Brown from AHL Bakersfield.
The 30-year-old is in his first season with Edmonton after signing a three-year, $3MM contract that hasn’t gone quite as intended thus far. Originally viewed as a sixth or seventh defender at the time he signed, Brown wound up not making the team out of training camp and cleared waivers back in early October.
Since then, he has been recalled three times but his playing time has been quite limited. Brown has suited up in just three games, all coming over a four-day stretch in November. He didn’t record a point while adding five blocked shots and six hits in a little over 12 minutes a night of playing time. Considering Edmonton has six healthy blueliners at the moment, he might not be adding to his limited totals while up with the big club.
Brown has played in 20 games with the Condors this season, his first taste of action in the minors since the 2018-19 campaign when he was with Springfield. He has just three assists in those outings while also recording 52 penalty minutes.
Edmonton had two open roster spots so no corresponding moves needed to be made to bring Brown up and with Evander Kane being their only injured player (and not close to returning), there won’t be any pending moves that could force him off the roster in the near future.