Player Discussion Connor Brown (C) - Update: Signs 3 year, $10.8M deal

[NyQuil]

Leafs are gonna say they don't have room for Brown on their roster but every team in the league does.

They only have one guy like him in Zach Hyman.

 

[c_mak]

Brown was a cap casualty because of Zaitsev's contract. Toronto did not want to get rid of him

 

[cudi]

Brown was a cap casualty because of Zaitsev's contract. Toronto did not want to get rid of him

Trading away Brown to get rid of Zaitsev and then trading a 1st to get rid of Marleau? I thought those guys over there were geniuses.

 

[c_mak]

Trading away Brown to get rid of Zaitsev and then trading a 1st to get rid of Marleau? I thought those guys over there were geniuses.

Lol ya it is a trade Dorion won so let's quietly celebrate that

 

[cudi]

Lol ya it is a trade Dorion won so let's quietly celebrate that

My Leafs fan brother in law is always bitching about how he wishes Brown was still a Leaf so thats pretty nice lol.

 

[DrakeAndJosh]

Is anyone else also not even mad about having Zaitsev and his contract? Only 3 more seasons at 4.5. I get that stats guys hate him but he's relatively steady and seems to have improved a bit this year. Not to mention he's likely been a big factor in Zub's successful transition. The fact that we got Brown for taking him is pretty great.

 

[cudi]

Is anyone else also not even mad about having Zaitsev and his contract? Only 3 more seasons at 4.5. I get that stats guys hate him but he's relatively steady and seems to have improved a bit this year. Not to mention he's likely been a big factor in Zub's successful transition. The fact that we got Brown for taking him is pretty great.

I got 99 problems but Zaitsev aint 1

 

[BonHoonLayneCornell]

Man this guy sure is shedding his label. Will be interesting to see if its just a streak this year or he keeps it up, but I never thought he would get over being one of those classic, "do everything right, but can't capitalize" players.

His contract this past summer looked like exactly what he should get and now he's definitely being underpaid.

 

[HSF]

Leafs are gonna say they don't have room for Brown on their roster but every team in the league does.

I think a lot of leaf fans really would have wanted to keep brown and kadri

 

[bicboi64]

Funnily enough, Kadri and Brown are the exact type of players the leafs need in their forward core, relentless hustle and grit. Now they're stuck looking for value deals until the big 4 era is gone

 

[aragorn]

Funnily enough, Kadri and Brown are the exact type of players the leafs need in their forward core, relentless hustle and grit. Now they're stuck looking for value deals until the big 4 era is gone

Hyman seems to be that kind of player too, much like Brown.

 

[PlayOn]

Brown also wasn’t the same player with the Leafs, he really began to excel here. He credited DJ for that which is also worth noting.

 

[BonHoonLayneCornell]

Brown also wasn’t the same player with the Leafs, he really began to excel here. He credited DJ for that which is also worth noting.

Not to mention what we're seeing out of him this year is above and beyond his track record even with us so far.

 

[BankStreetParade]

Funnily enough, Kadri and Brown are the exact type of players the leafs need in their forward core, relentless hustle and grit. Now they're stuck looking for value deals until the big 4 era is gone

If they keep those 2, I think they win the cup. Dubas is a bad GM - overpaid just about everyone on that roster, traded away the types of guys they needed to win, hasn't secured an appropriate defense corps, promoted a rookie coach, signed over the hill vets who contribute little to nothing. They don't win this year that team is toast. Inept roster management from top to bottom.

 

[BonHoonLayneCornell]

Kadri did make it tough on them. I don't think the right call was to move him right away over that, but it was a dumb shit move on his part. You have to walk the line as that kind of player, not cross it and potentially cost your team a series.

 

[cudi]

Kadri did make it tough on them. I don't think the right call was to move him right away over that, but it was a dumb shit move on his part. You have to walk the line as that kind of player, not cross it and potentially cost your team a series.

Trading Kadri made sense after that dumbass suspension in the playoffs.

Its who they got for him that was brutal. Anyone with a brain knew Barrie wasn't what the Leafs needed. They already had Reilly on PP1 so Barrie's talents were basically wasted in a role he shouldnt be in.

I think Dubas is pretty overrated as a talent evaluator. So many moves have me scratching my head.

 

[BonHoonLayneCornell]

Trading Kadri made sense after that dumbass suspension in the playoffs.

Its who they got for him that was brutal. Anyone with a brain knew Barrie wasn't what the Leafs needed. They already had Reilly on PP1 so Barrie's talents were basically wasted in a role he shouldnt be in.

I think Dubas is pretty overrated as a talent evaluator. So many moves have me scratching my head.

Yup, as soon as you saw the return it was just more of the same for them. Dubas seems to want to fill his roster with only skill, but that just doesn't really work.

Now he went out and got his over the hill Foligno to try to patch the problem.

 

[bicboi64]

Trading Kadri made sense after that dumbass suspension in the playoffs.

Its who they got for him that was brutal. Anyone with a brain knew Barrie wasn't what the Leafs needed. They already had Reilly on PP1 so Barrie's talents were basically wasted in a role he shouldnt be in.

I think Dubas is pretty overrated as a talent evaluator. So many moves have me scratching my head.

I agree, even though I think the Leafs had the best centre line up in the league if they kept Kadri. He wasn't the sole reason they lost that last series, the leafs failing to close out that series earlier was also an issue.

You're right about the return. If they couldn't get someone better then Barrie, keep Kadri until a better deal comes up, its not like he was a toxic presence on their roster. Kerfoot has been meh, Barrie was a disaster, and it showed that Dubas just wasn't addressing the holes in their roster. Now they have to rely on league minimum value deals, hope that 34, Marner and Tavares produce at an elite rate, and bank on Sandin/Liligren making up for when guys like Reilly need new deals. I love it, can't wait to see em choke in the playoffs and then continue on in cap hell

 

[Sens of Anarchy]

 

[JD1]

Is anyone else also not even mad about having Zaitsev and his contract? Only 3 more seasons at 4.5. I get that stats guys hate him but he's relatively steady and seems to have improved a bit this year. Not to mention he's likely been a big factor in Zub's successful transition. The fact that we got Brown for taking him is pretty great.

I'm not mad about it. He's had a good bounce back year...might be related to his family situation

His contract isn't a huge problem. It lines up ok with Sanderson coming off his ELC so the cap hit isn't and won't ever be a problem

 

[JD1]

Not to mention what we're seeing out of him this year is above and beyond his track record even with us so far.

You have to believe you can make plays before you can make them....i think Brown is just coming into his own and will be a solid producer for a few years. Great add for us.

 

[swiftwin]

Is anyone else also not even mad about having Zaitsev and his contract? Only 3 more seasons at 4.5. I get that stats guys hate him but he's relatively steady and seems to have improved a bit this year. Not to mention he's likely been a big factor in Zub's successful transition. The fact that we got Brown for taking him is pretty great.

Yup. I feel the same way. He's not perfect, but he logs hard minutes and plays hard at RD, which is arguably the hardest position to find. He's also looking much better than last season.He's probably a 2.5-3m defenseman making 4.5. Getting Connor Brown (at 3.5m x 3!!) more than makes up for that difference.

 

[BonHoonLayneCornell]

You have to believe you can make plays before you can make them....i think Brown is just coming into his own and will be a solid producer for a few years. Great add for us.

For sure you do, and get an opportunity like he has in Ottawa. Who knows what his career looks like right now had he stayed in Toronto where the opportunity was going to be a lot less.

He showed a lot last year in many aspects, but he struggled to put the puck in the net even while getting a ton of opportunities, almost comically so at times, so I really didn't think it was going to come around for him and would remain that 15goal 35-40pt type player.

Have to give him credit.

 

[OD99]

You have to believe you can make plays before you can make them....i think Brown is just coming into his own and will be a solid producer for a few years. Great add for us.

Funny thing is he was actually producing points at a higher pace last season but his goal scoring is way up this year.

If he can be a consistent 45ish point guy and (who knows) maybe a 20ish goal guy to compliment his motor and PK ability we will have a top notch 3rd liner...if Paul is able to move in to the middle with Forms on the left side it could be an elite 3rd line...or use White.

 

[AchtzehnBaby]

I got 99 problems but Zaitsev aint 1

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