The Toronto Maple Leafs are reportedly looking to bring back Edmonton Oilers forward Connor Brown in free agency, according to Jonas Siegel of The Athletic.
Brown, who recently completed a one-year, $4 million contract with the Oilers, is set to become an unrestricted free agent after Edmonton’s loss to the Florida Panthers in Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Final. Siegel suggests that a reunion with the Maple Leafs would be a logical move.
“Edmonton will presumably try to retain Brown for next season. However, if the Oilers can’t manage the cap space, the Leafs should consider reuniting with him. Brown had a challenging regular season, scoring only four goals in 71 games after missing most of the 2022-23 season with a torn ACL,” Siegel wrote in his June 25 article.
“There’s reason to believe that Brown’s second year post-injury will be smoother. His playoff performance indicates potential improvement. He’s also unlikely to have another season with a 3.7% shooting percentage. A 15-20 goal season wouldn’t be surprising, especially if he plays on one of the Leafs’ top two lines. Brown’s elevated playoff performance should be particularly attractive to the Leafs,” Siegel continued.
Despite the potential interest from Toronto, the expectation is that Brown will attempt to re-sign with the Oilers to build on his playoff success.
During the regular season with the Oilers, Brown recorded just 4 goals and 8 assists for 12 points in 71 games. However, he improved in the playoffs, scoring 2 goals and 4 assists for 6 points in 19 games.
Brown’s History with the Maple Leafs
Drafted by the Maple Leafs with the 156th overall pick in the 2012 NHL Draft, Brown returned to the OHL’s Erie Otters, where he was named team captain. He later played parts of two seasons with the AHL Toronto Marlies before making his NHL debut on March 17, 2016, becoming a full-time NHL player in the 2016-17 season. Brown played three consecutive 82-game seasons before being traded to the Ottawa Senators on July 1, 2019.
In total, Brown played 253 regular-season games for the Maple Leafs from 2016 to 2019, recording 43 goals and 56 assists for 99 points. After three years with the Senators, he signed a one-year deal with the Washington Capitals but tore his ACL just four games into the season. He then signed with the Oilers this past off-season, contributing to their Stanley Cup Final run.
Maple Leafs Face Key Free Agency Decisions
With NHL free agency set to begin on July 1, the Maple Leafs have several key unrestricted free agents to consider. Toronto enters the off-season with just over $18.8 million in cap space, according to CapFriendly. However, the team has only 10 forwards, five defensemen, and one goalie under contract.
Toronto’s pending UFAs include forwards Tyler Bertuzzi and Max Domi, defensemen Joel Edmundson, T.J. Brodie, Mark Giordano, and Ilya Lyubushkin, and goalies Ilya Samsonov and Martin Jones.
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