I don't see the 'Good Semin' comparison as that far off - Semin played small, but he certainly was not small (6'2 210...Laine is what, 6'3 200 now? Hard to get reliable heights and weights on prospects - I've read anything between 6'2 and 6'5 and 195 and 215), he also had an all-world shot arsenal (with a particularily deadly slapper), elite hands and was a good skater.
People also forget that Boyes once had the ofensive instincts to pot a 40 and a 30 goal season...that being said - it's very hard for me to peg Brown for several reasons...
- With the recent accumulation of actually good prospects, he's sort of become the forgotten man around here.
- Brown is a player that will find his way onto the scoresheet but just doesn't 'wow' you - he does everything 'Good', while only his playmaking is 'Great' - and it's still not on the level of Marner and Willy.
...I'm finding it hard to find a comparable for him.
Connor Brown:
Best Case - 50-60 point second line 'energy' winger who commands respect in the room and leaves it all out on the ice.
Worst Case - 4th liner who can play on the 3rd in the event of injuries.
One thing I dig? Brown is a sure bet to play in this league, he could be a near-star, but at the very least he's a good depth piece. Semin's failure, despite being over PPG from 2006-2010 is that he has no heart - Brown has that in spades. I think he'll wear a letter one day.
Aside from that we can agree - the only similarity with Dustin Brown is the name (prime Brown couldn't carry Connor's bag to the arena skill-wise - he got his points by getting his nose dirty and wearing the opposition down with the body - even with that odious contract (6 more years at 5.875), I'd still love a guy like him on the Leafs...with a significant add, of course *cough* Muzzin *cough*), prime Boyes isn't such a bad compare, and Nylander and Cole are nothing alike. In his prime, Cole was a power forward.