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It's trade deadline day but that doesn't mean that trades are the only NHL news allowed on the day, and so the Oilers have signed a pair of restricted free agents to new deals. Brandon Davidson gets a two year deal worth $1.425M annually; Laurent Brossoit also gets two years at $750k per season.
As reported earlier, Brandon Davidson extension is done, 2 year deal.
— Ryan Rishaug (@TSNRyanRishaug) February 29, 2016
2 x 1.425M https://t.co/UlGSXlpJYC
— Bob Stauffer (@Bob_Stauffer) February 29, 2016
AAV on Laurent Brossoit two-year extension is $750,000
— Elliotte Friedman (@FriedgeHNIC) February 29, 2016
There shouldn't be any complaining about either of these deals.
Davidson has been a spectacular surprise for the Oilers this season and at $1.425M should be able to outplay his contract over the next couple of seasons. This season he's been, statistically speaking, one of the Oilers best defencemen. For a player who had 12 games of NHL experience before the season started that's really saying something.
If the team continues to use him predominantly as a third pairing defencemen there is no reason to think that he can't continue to improve, possibly even ending up being able to take on tougher competition on a regular basis. This is likely why a two year deal makes the most sense for both parties. It gives the Oilers some cost certainty for a couple of seasons and allows Davidson to cash in on a bigger pay day down the road.
In Brossoit the Oilers have locked up the player they likely see as their goalie of the future for two more seasons. Brossoit's numbers in the AHL this season have been very strong - a 0.919 save percentage and three shutouts in 28 games. For Brossoit the question now is where does he play next season, will it be in Edmonton or will he be back in Bakersfield for another year?
Cam Talbot is obviously the team's number one goalie, will the Oilers give Brossoit the job as the backup starting October? I wouldn't be thrilled to see that happen but if the Oilers brought in another goalie, someone with a little more NHL experience, and Brossoit beat him out at camp then it is what it is. With Anders Nilsson now in St. Louis the backup job is likely to be Brossoit's for the rest of the season, if he wants to keep it starting his audition right now would likely be a good idea.