Confirmed with Link: Leafs re-sign Connor Brown (3 years; $2.1 AAV)

[saltming]

oh not a bad thing at all. Kappy earned a spot and babcock's mantra of once you make it room will be made (extreme paraphrasing) he should stand by that, i wouldnt say it was a tantrum if he has done all that has been asked including completely changing his game to suit 4th line then he has every right to be annoyed. but as of now it looks likely he is with the marlies so lets hope he is ok with it.

edit: by perimeter i mean non core players, not JVR's playing style

We cant afford JVR long term even at $5M IMO so keeping him this year for me is a waste of time let the future learn the roles Kapanen is already better defensively and Marleau is here 3 more years JVR is redundant. Keeping him until the deadline is a waste because they will be tempted to keep him as a own rental, the good teams keep turning over the perimeter players when they become too expensive

To the bolded I think room will be made for him. Maybe not at the start of the season as forcing a trade is not good. Ultimately it's what's best for the club.

 

[Al14]

If Brown can keep up his 20 goal per season pace throughout this contract, he'll be looking for a huge payday after this contract expires.

 

[meefer]

To the bolded I think room will be made for him. Maybe not at the start of the season as forcing a trade is not good. Ultimately it's what's best for the club.

I fear that Connor's new contract now makes him one of the more interesting trade considerations for the Leafs. We all know his story, his rookie season's results and his upside, and while not top end, it still is pretty impressive. Certainly not a popular thought, I worry that Lou could utilize Connor's value, coupled with another asset (or two) to help acquire that RD that many think we need.

 

[hotpaws]

I fear that Connor's new contract now makes him one of the more interesting trade considerations for the Leafs. We all know his story, his rookie season's results and his upside, and while not top end, it still is pretty impressive. Certainly not a popular thought, I worry that Lou could utilize Connor's value, coupled with another asset (or two) to help acquire that RD that many think we need.

Why would this worry you ? I'm a fan of the guy but we have plenty of wingers and if we could pkg him to improve a position of weakness i'd be all for it .

good thing is that we don't have to worry about Hyman being traded , his value went from extremely low to negative since Babcock got him signed to a ridiculous contract .

 

[PromisedLand]

Lol wtf? How does he make less than Hyman? Great for the Leafs though

This!

but whatever.... good signing.... I really didnt expect Brown to sign so low and also give some term lol

 

[PromisedLand]

This deal is beyond reproach.

The kid just loves being a Maple Leaf and bleeds Blue & White.

He's done a lot to ensure that he should be a Leaf for many years to come after this sweet-heart deal is done.

Can't wait to see what Lou and Shanny do with Matthew's, Marner, and Nylander. They are amazing to watch orchestrate this symphony. I just wish Lou was 10 years younger.......

it was pretty evident in the lead up to winter classic where Brown's mom was so emotional about him being a Leaf

 

[saltming]

I fear that Connor's new contract now makes him one of the more interesting trade considerations for the Leafs. We all know his story, his rookie season's results and his upside, and while not top end, it still is pretty impressive. Certainly not a popular thought, I worry that Lou could utilize Connor's value, coupled with another asset (or two) to help acquire that RD that many think we need.

Valid thought. Very tempting for another team as he will still be a rfa at the end but I think he won't be traded.
With the aquistions of Rosen and Borgman combined with the news that we were talking to Ozhiganov makes me think we are looking outside the box for fixes.

 

[Critical13]

Brown is part of the future. He drove me nuts last season, blowing so many scoring chances. He sinks a few more and you're looking at a 24 year old penalty killer who scores 25 goals a season.

Hyman - Matthews - Marner
Kapanen - Nylander - Brown

That's the future I see.

 

[White Shadow]

Brown is part of the future. He drove me nuts last season, blowing so many scoring chances. He sinks a few more and you're looking at a 24 year old penalty killer who scores 25 goals a season.

Hyman - Matthews - Marner
Kapanen - Nylander - Brown

That's the future I see.

You don't believe Babs when he says over and over again that Marner can drive his own line?

 

[The Thin White Duke]

You don't believe Babs when he says over and over again that Marner can drive his own line?

So can Nylander, Kadri and Matthews. Which one of them should be driving the 4th line if there's no point putting two drivers together?

 

[White Shadow]

So can Nylander, Kadri and Matthews. Which one of them should be driving the 4th line if there's no point putting two drivers together?

I do not believe Babs has said that about Kadri, or Nylander yet for that matter.

 

[TMLeafer]

Great deal! Hope he continues to flourish.

 

[johnny_rudeboy]

Love both the cap and the term but not sure why he signed for that?

 

[Nithoniniel]

Love both the cap and the term but not sure why he signed for that?

His agent might plan for three years now, an arbitration year to bring him to UFA, and then cash in on a big UFA contract.

 

[Joey Hoser]

Love both the cap and the term but not sure why he signed for that?

He's going to play with the likes of Matthews, Nylander, or at worst Kadri for the next three years, and play in all situations on a potentially successful team. He could put himself in a spot to really cash in 3 years from now. All while playing for his home-town team.

Why wouldn't he?

 

[crump]

Brown is going to be a key player for the Leafs. One of my favourites because of his work ethic and brain for the game. He is good in close in the slot, great at deflections. He's excelled at every league he's played in, the only question was his size. He's filled out and grown nicely. Don't be shocked at a few 30 goal seasons during his career.

 

[Kessely Snipes]

Less than Martin and Hyman... well done.

 

[Critical13]

You don't believe Babs when he says over and over again that Marner can drive his own line?

I absolutely believe Marner can. I think he will be the best offensive player of the 3, maybe as early as next year. He has a younger body and needs to catch up.

However, I think Nylander can run a line as well, and can be better as a C than a wing. Can't say the same about Mitch.

 

[senor martinez]

This a huge kahuna catch for our rear ends. This guy's got game like spike le do.

He brings it every night and makes us a better team. That to me is the key like triangular crossfire was against kennedy. This is the truest deal we've made in a long while. Our rear ends is shining real hard like the nicholson stephen king do.

 

[meefer]

Why would this worry you ? I'm a fan of the guy but we have plenty of wingers and if we could pkg him to improve a position of weakness i'd be all for it .

good thing is that we don't have to worry about Hyman being traded , his value went from extremely low to negative since Babcock got him signed to a ridiculous contract .

Fear...a poor choice of word on my behalf. I'd be sad to see the kid go. A low round pick that makes the show, loves being a Leaf, works his butt off and can be useful in many ways is the type of player I'd like to see stick around. But, ya gotta give to get and this contract makes him an attractive player to look at in a trade situation.

 

[Polaris1010]

I do not believe Babs has said that about Kadri, or Nylander yet for that matter.

My understanding of those comments, is that Babcock is very much an old school coach, who believes that only the center can drive a line.

Babcock said that he never thought a winger can drive a line until he saw Kane in Chicago. Maybe if he saw Kessel in Toronto, he would have said the same about Kessel.

 

[PuckMagi]

I think Brown just didn't want to get greedy and screw things up for himself. He probably wants to be Leaf for a long time. $6.3 million is still probably enough to live on the rest of your life (even after taxes).

He's a great player and it's amazing that he got 20 goals last year... but we have guys like Leivo and Kapanen who could be just as good, if not better (and they're sitting on the bench).

At that price, he will be a valuable asset and part of our team going forward. If he signed for $3.0 or $3.5 or something... and he had a down year next year... we might be trying to move him in a cap crunch situation and replace him with someone cheaper (like Kapanen). So by taking a cheaper deal, he'll likely continue to be a valuable asset who can remain with the team even when the cap gets tight.

I wouldn't be surprised if his top priority is to remain a Leaf in the NHL and be a part of this core and win a cup. The money to him might have been secondary.

 

[pgk]

Thats a serious hometown discount to take when they signed hyman (who is clearly not as good in every category) to more money and more term. I love it. But man. He could rip them a new one at the arbitration table in three years!

 

[White Shadow]

My understanding of those comments, is that Babcock is very much an old school coach, who believes that only the center can drive a line.

Babcock said that he never thought a winger can drive a line until he saw Kane in Chicago. Maybe if he saw Kessel in Toronto, he would have said the same about Kessel.

Yes, he was talking about Marner driving a line all by himself from the wing via puck possession. He doesn't foresee Marner and Matthews on the same line as he thinks it is better for the team to keep them separated and in turn increase the depth of the forward lines.

 

[Havoc]

lol my reaction was similar to most of the others. I didn't say "oh look, brown finally re-signed".

I said "wow, he makes less than Hyman".