With the season right around the corner, some notable restricted free agents have yet to re-sign with their respective teams. The Hurricanes recently offer sheeted Jesperi Kotkaniemi from the Canadiens, and for the first time since the Oilers offer sheeted Dustin Penner in 2007, it looks like the contract won’t be matched.
The Oilers still have to figure out their plan with forwards Kailer Yamamoto and Cooper Marody, and decide what they’re going to do with them. If the Oilers are able to free up some cap space, there are a few, cheap options that are left in the restricted free agent pool that the team could look at buying into.
I won’t mention guys like Quinn Hughes, Elias Pettersson, or Nolan Patrick. These guys are due for huge raises, and it’s impossible for the Oilers to free up some cap space to make some room for guys of that level. I’m looking more at improving our bottom 6 forward depth, or our bottom 4 defenseman depth.
Logan Brown:
Logan Brown is currently an RFA, his rights are owned by the Ottawa Senators. At 6’6, 218 pounds, his size is something the Oilers could use to their advantage.
Brown is a 23-year-old center, who has played a total of 30 games in the league, and tallied 9 points. He was taken in the first round of the 2016 NHL Entry draft, and next season will likely be his first full season in the big league.
Tyler Parchem, with Elite Prospects, talked about Logan Brown, stating:
"“Brown is a huge center who excels at both ends of the ice. He can be dominant in the offensive zone but takes care of his own end as well. His large frame is key to his success as he uses his body to shield his puck and his reach to keep it off other players sticks.”"
Brown will likely earn a contract in the range of $1M-$1.5M a season, so it’s not impossible for the Oilers to move some money and make a move for the big center.
If they decide to bring Brown in cheap, and the Senators didn’t match, the Oilers lines could look like this:
Hyman – McDavid – Puljujarvi
Nugent-Hopkins – Draisaitl – Yamamoto
Foegele – Brown – Archibald
Shore – McLeod – Benson
EXTRA: Derek Ryan
Bringing in Logan Brown would likely force us to move Zack Kassian out of the lineup, and with the interest around the league, I don’t think it would be too hard to move him and free up the money we need to sign him.