A former Leaf could be on the move this year; could a reunion make some sense?
It appears as though a former Maple Leaf could be on the move this season, perhaps even as soon as this summer. That former Leaf is Ottawa Senators forward Connor Brown, who is entering the final year of his current deal. According to Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman, Brown is considering leaving Ottawa via free agency next summer.
At the 2012 NHL Entry Draft, the Leafs selected Brown from The Erie Otters with the 156th selection. Brown, a former teammate of Connor McDavid, was a key depth player for the Leafs from 2016-2019, seeing time on the penalty kill and also some spot duty with an up-and-coming Auston Matthews in the top 6. However, Brown was used as a sweetener for the Sens to take on the contract of Nikita Zaitsev.
During the 2019 off-season, Brown was traded to The Ottawa Senators, along with Zaitsev and prospect Michael Carcone in exchange for Cody Ceci, Ben Harpur, Aaron Luchuk and a third round pick (CBJ) in the 2020 NHL Entry Draft.
Brown has one year left on his current deal with the Ottawa Senators at $3.6M. He posted a career-best 43 points in his first season in Ottawa, but has since shown regression. Still playing a depth role, Brown hasn't posted any jaw dropping numbers, but he has played with tenacity and intelligence and could be an enticing add for a number of teams - especially if the Sens agree to retain some salary.
I'm not necessarily advocating for a Leafs-Connor Brown reunion, but if he came back to Toronto at 50% retention at the trade deadline, I certainly wouldn't hate it. How tough is Connor Brown? Well, just this past season, on January 13th, he suffered a broken jaw after being struck by a puck that was shot by teammate Thomas Chabot. He played an entire game with the injury and notched a goal and an assist in the contest to help the Sens beat the Flames 4-1 in Calgary. That's absolutely a guy you want on your team.
| POLL | ||
JUIN 19 | 319 ANSWERS A former Leaf could be on the move this year; could a reunion make some sense? Would you like Connor Brown back in a Leafs jersey if the Sens agreed to eat half of his salary? | ||
| Yes | 192 | 60.2 % |
| No | 50 | 15.7 % |
| Maybe at the deadline, but not all year | 44 | 13.8 % |
| Just sign him as a UFA next summer | 33 | 10.3 % |
| List of polls | ||
