Former Leaf chats with the media after his first skate with his new team
Former Toronto Maple Leafs forward Connor Brown has had a roller coaster ride over the last couple of seasons, but is finally happy and excited to get his hockey career back on track in Edmonton with his former Erie Otters teammate, Connor McDavid.
Brown was originally drafted by the Maple Leafs back in 2012 and was with the organization until the end of the 2018-19 season. He was traded in the off-season alongside Nikita Zaitsev and Micheal Carcone to the Ottawa Senators for Cody Ceci, Ben Harpur, Aaron Luchuk, and a third round pick in 2020.
He spent 3 seasons with the Senators before being traded to the Washington Capitals for a second round pick. He only played 4 games before he suffered an anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury and was ruled out for the entire season. Entering the 2023 off-season, Brown was poised to make amends for a lost season and signed an incentive-filled contract with the Oilers for one year.
Brown had spent 3 years with the Erie Otters between 2011-12 to 2013-14 - 2 of those seasons with McDavid - and is extremely excited about his newfound opportunity. When asked about the prospects of playing with McDavid again, Brown kept it about the team but still gave us a little insight:
"We both want to win, first and foremost, and same with everyone in that room and that's what makes it a special group... It's the NHL so it's a long way from junior hockey but we've both been around for 9 seasons now so we know what to expect at this level... everyone in this group jut bring what they bring and collectively get this team to the next level."
As for how he feels entering the 2023-24 season after all the injuries, Brown is more than ready and just wants to step foot on the ice again:
"It's been really exciting, I think coming in here. The group is in a great spot, everyone's really hungry... it's a really exciting time to be an Oiler and I feel honoured to be a part of this.
I feel up to speed, I feel ready to go, it was obviously a lot of adversity this year, I learned a lot, it's a lot of hard work to dig yourself out of that hole and I'm that much more grateful to be able to play with this group."
I feel up to speed, I feel ready to go, it was obviously a lot of adversity this year, I learned a lot, it's a lot of hard work to dig yourself out of that hole and I'm that much more grateful to be able to play with this group."
With Brown in the mix, the Oilers have an interesting mix of forwards in their top-6 with McDavid, Leon Draisaitl, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, Evander Kane, and former Maple Leaf, Zach Hyman. Brown had some good seasons with the Leafs and Senators and will be looking to capitalize on his opportunities with either McDavid, Draisaitl, or both.
| POLL | ||
SEPTEMBRE 8 | 123 ANSWERS Former Leaf chats with the media after his first skate with his new team How many points will Connor Brown produce in his first season with the Oilers? | ||
| Less than 40 | 39 | 31.7 % |
| 40-50 | 47 | 38.2 % |
| 51-60 | 28 | 22.8 % |
| More than 60 | 9 | 7.3 % |
| List of polls | ||
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