Do Capitals Bring Back Connor Brown? A Closer Look At Free Agent

The 29-year-old didn't get to show what he can do after a torn ACL ended his first year with the Capitals after three and a half games. Does he get a do-over?

ARLINGTON, V.A. -- After being traded to the Washington Capitals by the Ottawa Senators in July, Connor Brown felt the excitement of starting fresh with a new team. He'd dealt with some absences, from a broken jaw to COVID-19, and now, he was getting a chance to make a big impact on the top-6 and penalty kill in a contract year.

And then, pop. Just four games into his season, Brown took a hard hit into the boards from Noah Juulsen that tore his ACL. He knew right then and there that his season -- an important one with so much at stake -- was over.

"Had a feeling just because I'd never really felt anything like that," Brown explained to me, wincing. "So yeah, frustrating. You know, not the way that you drew it up coming in here. I was excited to get going with an experienced group like this. It is what it is."

He had made his mark in the preseason but didn't have a chance to yet get on the scoresheet in his small run with the team. After his surgery, the rest of his season would be filled with rehabilitation alongside fellow injured teammates, time regaining strength in his leg and, eventually, skating on his own before practice. There was the hope that he could return for the postseason, but that opportunity slipped away as the team failed to qualify for the first time in nine years.

So, what's next for Brown?

The situation is a tough one for management, as general manager Brian MacLellan explained the high hopes for Brown given his skillset and playing style, but added that the small sample size poses a challenge when it comes to evaluating next steps.

"I would have loved to have him play the whole year and see where he fits," MacLellan said. "From a personnel standpoint, we really like the player. He's a good person. It seems like he would have been a perfect fit for us."

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Taking that into account, Washington would be wise to consider bringing him back and giving him another shot, as he'll be 100 percent ready to go by camp.

Brown brings exactly what D.C. is looking for: speed and tenacity. The 29-year-old right wing can play top-6 minutes and also make a major impact on the penalty kill, and he's also aggressive at both ends of the ice and goes hard in puck battles. He can also make plays on the fly, and he owns a good shot to boot.

MacLellan wants to revamp the top-6, and a good way to do it is to bring back a familiar face that's well-liked on and off the ice and offers a lot of versatility. He also may take a discount, given he didn't get to show what he can do. He had a cap hit of $3.5 million this past season.

Not only that, with Conor Sheary not likely to return, Evgeny Kuznetsov's future in flux and Garnet Hathaway being shipped out this past year, the team will need another strong piece on the penalty kill. Brown provides that; he was among the Senators' leaders in shorthanded ice time and, in 2020-21, led the NHL with five shorthanded goals. He's also disciplined and doesn't spend a lot of time in the box."

“I always thought I was a skilled forward and I see myself as that. But I remember my junior coach telling me really to hone in on being a good penalty killer and making that something I take pride in. And ever since then, I really have,” Brown said in a 1-on-1. “I try to have a knack for stealing pucks, I just really enjoy penalty killing.

"Defensively as a forward, I steal pucks and play tenacious. I like to consider myself as doing a little bit of everything. So I think I can help out the second unit and everything I can do, every little thing, I try to bring it all.”

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Plus, during his time on the long-term injured reserve, he reinvented himself as a player and person, focusing on his diet, different aspects of his game and his identity. Him being able to bring something else to the table and enhancing his ability also speaks volumes and makes him a strong candidate to return.

"It's been an opportunity to get better and to reevaluate a lot of the things that I did," Brown added. Reevaluating my diet, making sure that is as good as it possibly can be. Reevaluating the way I train and making sure that's efficient as well as it can be.

"I'm 29 years old, I feel like I'm entering the second half of my career. And you know, it's important to take care of all those things. I feel like I have a really good base and really good camp in my corner to kind of help me moving forward and so I'm looking forward to it."

Brown's familiarity with the organization, coachability and jack-of-all-trades mentality, he has shown he is an experienced, strong asset that can bring a lot to the table. His camp hadn't started talks yet back in April, but looking at the situation, that'll likely change.

"We’ll talk to his representatives and see what they’re thinking just before free agency and then we’ll examine what we think we can get done—trades, free agents and put that decision in that group," MacLellan added.

As for Brown, he's waiting to see what's next.

"A lot of that's up in the air and a lot of that's out of my control. So for me, I know that the rehab's going well and I'm starting to feel healthy again and so just kind of control that and let the pieces come out as they may."