Edmonton Oilers signing reunites Connor Brown with Connor McDavid

(From left to right, Toronto Maple Leafs' Connor Brown, Edmonton Oilers' Connor McDavid, and Arizona Coyotes' Dylan Strome take a break during the NHLPA Rookie Showcase in Toronto on Tuesday, September 1, 2015. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darren Calabrese)

The Edmonton Oilers reunited winger Connor Brown with his junior teammate Connor McDavid by signing Brown to a one-year contract Saturday.

The 29-year-old Brown from Toronto played just the first four Washington Capitals' games this past season because of a knee injury sustained Oct. 17.

He underwent season-ending surgery to repair a torn anterior cruciate ligament.

Brown signed for the NHL minimum salary of US$775,000, but according to CapFriendly, his deal was laden with incentives to bring its worth up to $4 million.

"We're trying to win. We're adding a top-six forward at ($775,000). You're going to have to pay the price at some point in time," Oilers general manager Ken Holland said Saturday. "My expectation is it's going to take him a little while to get going.

"I talked to Connor Brown today. He said he's skating, he's pushing, he's working hard, feels good, knows he's got another good two months before we get to training camp. You can't read the future, but all indications are that everything looks good."

Brown scored 90 goals and has 126 assists in 448 career NHL games with Washington, Ottawa and Toronto.

The six-foot, 181-pound forward was drafted by the Maple Leafs in the sixth round in 2012.

Brown was a teammate of Oilers captain McDavid when they both played for the Ontario Hockey League's Erie Otters from 2012 to 2014.

"I talked to Connor McDavid two or three times since the end of the season about Connor Brown," Holland said. "A player that hates to lose. You're bringing a guy into that locker room that's bringing a lot of determination, a lot of passion.

"I'm sure he's going to drive himself to get up and running as quickly as possible."

Brown appeared in all 82 regular-season games three straight years for the Leafs from 2017 to 2019, and was a teammate of current Oiler Zach Hyman before heading to the Senators.

Brown also had a goal and four assists in 20 playoff games for Toronto. He compiled 47 goals and 70 assists over three seasons with Ottawa before the Capitals acquired him in a trade.

The Oilers were in the market for an inexpensive forward.

Edmonton shipped wingers Kailer Yamamoto and Klim Kostin to the Detroit Red Wings on Wednesday to create cap flexibility ahead of free agency.

Edmonton's power-play quarterback Evan Bouchard and forward Ryan McLeod are restricted free agents this summer.

"We didn't have a lot of cap space," Holland said. "You saw the deal I made the other day. I couldn't afford Kostin. He wanted $2 million.

"I'm not sure if we're carrying 12 forwards or 13. Because of the uncertainty of what it's going to take to sign (Bouchard) and McLeod … certainly we'd like a fourth line centre.

"I've got to hold some money back for those guys to to get them done."

Forward Nick Bjugstad returned to the Arizona Coyotes on a two-year contract after the Oilers picked up the 30-year-old at the trade deadline.

He had four goals and two assists in 19 games, as well as three goals in 12 playoff games for Edmonton.

Edmonton (50-23-9) reached the second round of playoffs this year.

The Oilers were ousted in six games by the eventual Stanley Cup champion Vegas Golden Knights.

Edmonton was eliminated in the 2021 Western Conference final by the Colorado Avalanche, who won the Cup that year.

"When you look at the window that we're in right now, what we've accomplished the last two years, the core of our team is signed up,' Holland said. "You look at the age of the core of our team, they're in their prime.

"We're in it to try and win it."

Also, the Oilers announced Saturday the signing of forwards Drake Caggiula and Lane Pederson to two-year contracts with annual salaries of $775,000.

Caggiula of Pickering, Ont., previously played two and a quarter seasons with the Oilers from 2016 to 2019 before he was traded to the Chicago Blackhawks.

The five-foot-10, 176-forward has 46 goals and 45 assists in 282 career NHL games for Edmonton, Chicago, Arizona, Buffalo and Pittsburgh.

Saskatoon's Pederson had two goals and an assist in 16 games for the Columbus Blue Jackets this past season.

The 25-year-old owns a career four goals and seven assists in 71 NHL games with San Jose, Vancouver and Columbus.

Edmonton also signed defencemen Noel Hoefenmayer to a one-year, entry-level contract.

The 24-year-old totalled 13 goals, 34 assists and 138 penalty minutes over the last three seasons with the American Hockey League's Toronto Marlies.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 1, 2023.