UFA forward Connor Brown linked to a Western Conference team, reuniting with former junior teammate

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Cooper Godin
June 19, 2023 (4:26 PM)

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Connor Brown's time with the Washington Capitals was very brief. He only appeared in four games during the 2022-23 season after being hit during a game on October 17th causing him to undergo surgery to reconstruct a torn ACL.

Brown might be one of the most intriguing names on the free agent market this summer. Many don't know yet how his knee will respond, but he's only 29 and has a pair of 20+ goal seasons under his belt. On a lower term, lower AAV contract, he could be an attractive commodity to a lot of teams.

During Monday's edition of the '32 Thoughts Podcast', Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman revealed that the Edmonton Oilers could be a potential destination for Connor Brown. Jeff Marek added that Brown could be drawn to the Oilers by his former OHL teammate, Connor McDavid and that the pair share the same agency.

"You know who I've heard a little bit about? I don't even know if teams are allowed to talk to him yet. Connor Brown." Friedman said.

When asked about the latest on Brown by Jeff Marek, Friedman said, "Well, he got hurt and he's still a member of the Washington Capitals. But I've heard there's teams kinda looking in there. You know, what's his situation going to be? What's he want to sign for? Where does he want to go? I know there's a lot of talk about Edmonton, just because there's a lot of history there. I mean it's obvious, Connor McDavid.

You know, this is a year where teams are going to be looking for the best bargain they can find, and I think there's a lot of teams out there curious about what he's thinking, and whether or not he's guaranteed to go to Edmonton, because Edmonton's cap tight, right? So they probably can't make him the biggest offer. But, you know, that's a name I've heard quite a bit about the last week."

Brown and McDavid formed one of the OHL's most lethal duos during the 2013-14 season. Brown put up 128 points, while McDavid had 99 and there's hope that the two could rekindle that magic if the Toronto native is to sign with the Oilers this summer.

The 29-year-old seemed very excited to join the Washington Capitals last year and unfortunately his time there ended sooner than he had hoped, so it's certainly possible that he could return and sign another one year deal, but there will be plenty of teams seeking his services this summer.