Josh Brown gets the chance to prove he is worth his contract

The Edmonton Oilers lost a game on Saturday night versus the Toronto Maple Leafs, which was there for the taking. However, thanks to more defensive calamity -- primarily from Evan Bouchard -- they instead fell 4-3 in overtime and had to settle for a 'loser' point.

However, the biggest storyline of the evening was Ryan Reaves' nasty hit to the head of Darnell Nurse, which left the latter bleeding. The Oilers' alternate captain had to leave the game and did not return, and at the time of writing we are still waiting to find out how long he is projected to be absent.

As per TSN, Reaves was subsequently hit with a five-game suspension by the NHL Department of Player Safety. This seems light, particularly for a player with a history of controversial hits, and there is a scenario where the Leafs' forward could conceivably return to action before Nurse.

Come on down (or up) Josh Brown

In any event, an already struggling Oilers blueline had to call in reinforcements to cover for Nurse's absence. And it has come in the form of Josh Brown, who was recalled from Bakersfield on Sunday.

This is Brown's first opportunity to show the Oilers what he can do in regular season action, not that he's being counted on to blow everyone away with his performances. He's never been an NHL regular during his six-years of action save for 2022-23, when he started 68 games for the then-Arizona Coyotes and struggled, highlighted by a career-worst -18 rating.

Further, the 30-year-old is not really much of an offensive threat, with just 34 points in 290 NHL games. Along these lines, it's not so much that the Oilers signed him during the offseason, but rather the amount and term, at three years and $3 million.

A career year (in some respects)

Last season saw Brown as a regular healthy scratch for the Coyotes, although he did still play in 51 games and, among other things (for what it's worth), had career-highs of 10 points and a +2 rating. Now, it's up to him to take advantage of the chance offered by Nurse's injury, and prove he is worth his $1 million per season.

In terms of the positives the 2013 sixth round draft pick offers, his primary ones are his size at 6 foot 5 and 220 pounds, along with his strength. Certainly the Oilers could use these intangibles in a struggling defence, but whether he turns out to be Vincent Desharnais 2.0 remains to be seen.

In theory, Brown should make his Oilers debut on Monday night, in Montreal versus the Canadiens. Regardless,he is allowed to stay on the roster for up to 30 days or play up to 10 games, before requiring waivers to be reassigned to Bakersfield.

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