How Impactful Can Ex-Oiler Be For The New Jersey Devils?
Ken Daneyko and Mike Kelly sat at the desk at the NHL Network studio in Secaucus, New Jersey, believing Connor Brown was a perfect fit for the Edmonton Oilers when he signed as a free agent with the club in July 2023.
"They are right there," Daneyko said of the Oilers. "Everything has to fall into place. Adding those subtle pieces like Connor Brown should help. Can they take that next jump? A lot of teams believe they can."
Turns out the Oilers secured the right pieces to make the jump.
During his tenure with Edmonton, Brown reached the Stanley Cup Final in consecutive seasons, both times falling short to the Florida Panthers.
In the 2024 Stanley Cup Final, Brown, along with his linemates Mattias Janmark and Adam Henrique, were an effective third line. Throughout the 2023-24 postseason, the trio combined for 21 points, with nine of them earned in the Final against Florida. In addition to their contributions to the scoresheet, Brown and Janmark were assets on the penalty kill.
One year later, in the same situation, Brown saw his ice time increase as he potted five goals in 20 postseason games.
"Connor Brown is a really good two-way player, whether we put him out there as part of a shutdown line," Oilers coach Kris Knoblauch told NHL.com back in June. "His penalty kill skills are second-to-none. He is usually paired with (Mattias) Janmark, and the two of them we rely on quite a bit. But you see, during the playoffs, he has come up with some really big goals, especially early in our playoff run against L.A. (in the first round). He is a guy who can move up and down the lineup, especially right now (when) we are short on right wingers."
As a free agent, Brown left Edmonton and signed a four-year contract worth $12,000,000 to play for the New Jersey Devils on July 1.
During his first media availability, the 31-year-old spoke to Devils reporters about his decision to sign with New Jersey.
"It was a balancing act to narrow down the places I wanted to be," Brown…
