The Edmonton Oilers may have just signed Josh Brown in free agency, but he could be the first to hit waivers due to his poor performance. The Edmonton Oilers inked veteran defenseman Josh Brown to a three-year contract with an AAV of $1 million per year during the off-season. Brown brings experience, but there is skepticism as to whether he'll even be able to stay in the NHL throughout his contract. <a href='https://x.com/NHL_Sid' class='lien_marqueur' target='_blank' rel='noopener'>Zach Laing</a> from OilersNation thinks Brown could be waived, and there's a pretty good chance no other team claims him in that event. <div align='center'><blockquote class='twitter-tweet' data-lang='en'><a href='https://twitter.com/OilersNation/status/1840572271255323016'> </a></blockquote></div> He's suited up for four different teams over 290 games in the NHL. At 30 years old, the winger last suited up for the Arizona Coyotes. The last two years were certainly rough for Brown, struggling on a terrible Coyotes team. In the 2022-23 season, Brown posted a poor -18 rating despite limited playing time. Statistically, Brown is considered one of the worst defensemen in the league, but that 6'5 frame and right shot do give him an organic advantage as a defensive tool. Despite that size, though, Brown's been underwhelming in preseason action for the fans. He consistently has struggled to make positive plays, especially transitioning the puck up the ice. More often than not, Brown has been out of position in the defensive zone, begging questions about his value and how he can help. The Oilers perhaps thought he was a cheap option to replace Vincent Desharnais, but his weaknesses would indicate that assistant coach Paul Coffey has his work cut out for him if Brown is going to find himself. What really makes the signing of Brown confusing, though, is that there are other options, arguably superior, existing within the team already. Players such as Travis Dermott and Troy Stecher, having played more games for better teams and producing better results, are expected to start the year in the press box while <a href='https://www.oilersdaily.com/nhl-team/edmonton-oilers/oilers-free-agent-signing-named-highly-likely-to-be-placed-on-waivers' class='lien_marqueur' target='_blank' rel='noopener'>Brown struggles on the ice.</a> There are certainly worse things this team could do than waste their talents. Thankfully, Josh Brown's deal is manageable. For a relatively small salary cap hit, the monetary penalty for demoting him to the minors isn't very high. Of course, the club should be basing its lineup decisions on performance and not on contract, but in any case, Brown will in all likelihood get a chance to prove himself. The Oilers must balance giving him that opportunity with putting the best players on the ice.