Senator Backcheck: Blues Reportedly Moving on From Former Sens First-Rounder Logan Brown

Logan Brown reportedly won't be re-signed in St Louis. If so, the former Sens first-rounder becomes a UFA July 1st.

The 2016 NHL Draft was Pierre Dorion's first as general manager of the Ottawa Senators. Dorion had only been on the job for about two months and, naturally, wanted to make a good first impression. And he did, as most analysts liked his performance... at the time.

The Sens held the 12th overall selection that season and, when the Devils were about to pick at 11, Dorion obviously had reason to believe they were about to select the player he wanted.

So the Sens gave the Devils their due, sending them a third rounder to change places with them, moving up one pick. That allowed Dorion to choose Logan Brown, a 6-foot-6, 220 pound, high scoring centre with the Windsor Spitfires.

Over the next couple of years, there was plenty of excitement about Brown, the son of former NHL'er Jeff Brown, and the kid continued scoring. He got it done in junior and then later in the AHL, but he failed to make an impact in his limited NHL chances.

By September 2021, the Sens signed him to a one year, two-way deal then traded him to St. Louis a few days later, along with a conditional fourth-round draft pick, for forward Zach Sanford. 

Now it looks like it isn't going to pan out for Brown in St. Louis either.

As was the case in Ottawa, Brown suffered from injuries and lack of production. Over two seasons in St. Louis, Brown had 17 points in 69 games. He had 19 points in 21 AHL games.

Obviously, he's done nothing to even remotely tempt the Sens to consider a reunion. The speed and tenacity required to warrant a top six NHL spot just hasn't been there. And while he has more skill than most bottom six forwards, teams are looking for great skaters in those roles as well.

Brown may get a look somewhere in UFA this summer, but with his pedigree and skill, he seems like the kind of player who might be able to find a lucrative gig playing somewhere in Europe.

As for the Sens, sure, that's a first round pick they'd like to do over. But that's not how it works and hindsight is useless. Nobody has a crystal ball and every GM swings and misses, even on first rounders. How are LA and the Rangers feeling these days about not taking Tim Stutzle? 

But if you didn't know better, you might think there was a little part of Dorion that tried to go back and right old wrongs. At the 2016 draft, when he took Brown, there were definitely some good players still on the board that he probably liked a lot. 

That might include players like Jakob Chychrun (16th), Julien Gauthier (21st) Alex DeBrincat (39th), Filip Gustavsson (55th), and Dylan Gambrell (60th), all players who went in the first 2 rounds that year that Dorion circled back to and acquired later on.

It's almost certainly a coincidence. But who knows? It was Dorion's first draft ever. And you never forget your first.