The Edmonton Oilers made a pair of roster moves Saturday, placing veteran forward Derek Ryan on waivers and loaning defenceman Josh Brown to the Bakersfield Condors of the AHL. The transactions come on the heels of a 3-2 loss to the Vancouver Canucks at Rogers Arena on Saturday night.
Ryan, 38, has struggled to produce offensively this season. Through 33 games, he has registered just one goal and four assists to go along with a -4 rating and 12 penalty minutes. His recent inactivity has been notable as well, as Noah Phil’s recall from Bakersfield on January 14th has seen the younger forward step into the lineup for the past three games, leaving Ryan as a healthy scratch. Ryan’s last game came on January 11th against the Chicago Blackhawks when he played only eight minutes and had zeroes across the board on the boxscore.
Brown, who signed with the Oilers on July 1st as a depth option on the blue line, has appeared in eight games. The 6-foot-5 defenceman contributed one assist, one fight, a -1 rating, and nine penalty minutes during his time with the NHL club. With his reassignment, the soon-to-be 31-year-old will resume his role in Bakersfield while awaiting a potential return to the Oilers if injuries or the need for some additional toughness arise.
These moves create some flexibility for the Oilers as they continue to navigate a tight playoff race at the top of the Pacific Division. The decision to waive Ryan and send Brown to the AHL reflects a desire to refine the roster and ensure the most effective lineup is on the ice as the season progresses. It also shows that the Oilers are looking to keep more speed in the line, as the aging Ryan struggled to keep up in limited minutes.
The Oilers are next in action on Tuesday when they host the Alex Ovechkin and the Washington Capitals for the first of a six-game home stand at Rogers Place. With two days off between games, it remains to be seen if any additional roster adjustments will be made ahead of puck drop, especially with the newly signed John Klingberg expected to join the team for the first time. Though, I’d be very surprised if Klingberg sees any game action that quickly.
Either way, the Oilers are making adjustments to their lineup with the March 7th trade deadline approaching quickly, and I’ll be fascinated to see how much more tinkering Stan Bowman plans to do with the roster before then. As always, we wait.

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