The Edmonton Oilers are more than ready to contend for a Stanley Cup in the 2023-24 season. They didn’t make too many moves in the offseason and instead decided to build around the core they already believe in with only a couple of signings. They added Lane Pederson, Drake Caggiula, and Noel Hoefenmayer as depth pieces and have signed Sam Gagner, Brandon Sutter, and Adam Erne to professional tryout contracts (PTOs). The biggest move they made this summer though, was signing a former teammate of Connor McDavid with the Erie Otters, Connor Brown. They brought him in on a one-year deal and he is expected to start the season on the first line.
Related: Revisiting Oilers’ 2014-15 Prospect Pool
His deal is mainly bonus-based, as his cap hit for the 2023-24 season will only be $775,000. However, if he manages to hit all of his performance bonuses, he will be paid a total of $4 million, which will carry over onto the Oilers’ payroll for the 2024-25 season. Brown will have something to prove after an injury-ridden season saw him only play four games with the Washington Capitals after they acquired him from the Ottawa Senators.
Brown’s Career & How He Fits With the Oilers
Now 29 years old, Brown was a sixth-round draft pick of the Toronto Maple Leafs in the 2012 NHL Entry Draft at 156th overall. As mentioned, he played alongside McDavid in his junior career where they both played for the Otters of the Ontario Hockey League (OHL). Over three seasons with the Otters, Brown scored 98 goals and added 152 assists for 250 points through 199 games, which comes out to a 1.26 points-per-game average.
He established himself as a player who knew how to make plays and finish them, but there was some concern he couldn’t do it on his own and had inflated numbers due to the strength of his teammates, leading to his fall at the draft. Luckily, he was able to get stronger as the seasons went on, and in his final season with the Otters, he scored 45 goals and added 83 assists for 128 points through 68 games.
“I think we’re going to have to be patient with him, I don’t think you’re going to hit the ice in game one and be the same guy you were last year.”
– Oilers General Manager Ken Holland: Global News – Oilers Sign Connor Brown
Brown played four seasons with the Maple Leafs before joining the Senators. He has been a consistent 30-point scorer in the NHL but hasn’t been able to transfer over the elite offensive ability that he had in the OHL. His career-high in points came during the 2019-20 season where he played 71 games scoring 16 goals and adding 27 assists for 43 points.
Coming off of a season where a knee injury kept him out for 78 of 82 games, there is definitely some worry from Oilers fans that he won’t be able to find his game again. A one-year, low-risk contract is the perfect situation for Brown, though. He is back alongside McDavid with whom he had amazing chemistry at the junior level, and he now has something to prove with the Oilers. Hopefully, he’ll be able to find his stride and turn into a 60-point player alongside McDavid or Leon Draisaitl.
Brown will likely start the season on the first line alongside McDavid and Zach Hyman. He is a strong two-way player who will be expected to complement the two stars, and will likely have some added pressure to put up points. Before his injury, he seemed poised to have a breakout year with the Capitals and then earn a big contract. Unfortunately, he wasn’t able to do that and has found himself on another “prove-it” deal. But, I think Oilers fans are really going to like Brown, he reads the ice well, is strong defensively, and plays physically when he needs to. With something to prove, I think we finally see a huge breakout year for Brown, similar to Hyman last season.
