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

[Sens of Anarchy]

3.5 is a lot for Brown?

A good comparable is Killorn, 4.45 per

Maybe a bit less but no chance at all that Brown signs for 3.5 or less.

I think he is excellent trade bade to a contender. He is a heart and soul guy but for over 3.5 .. I sell high

 

[aragorn]

I think he is excellent trade bade to a contender. He is a heart and soul guy but for over 3.5 .. I sell high

Connor Brown is still an RFA, IMO they need to get rid of most of their UFAs this yr & then look at possibly moving Tierny, Anisimov & maybe Brown next yr although it could be difficult since the coach loves this guy. I also think if he ever starts to score consistently he could become a star for Ottawa & they are thin on RW.

 

[Sensmileletsgo]

Keep his contract short and his cap hit low so that he has good trade value. I really like Connor Brown but he is always going to be a secondary piece.

 

[Sensmileletsgo]

Give C. Brown and Duclair matching contracts. 3x 3.5

They are both career 0.4 ppg players Brown is just more on the playmaker side.

I can’t see this happening. Duclair has so much more upside than Brown. He will for sure get a higher cap hit.

 

[Sweatred]

3.5 is a lot for Brown?

A good comparable is Killorn, 4.45 per

Maybe a bit less but no chance at all that Brown signs for 3.5 or less.

If your paying Brown $3.5 to play a 3-4 line checking roll you are taking that money out of your top 6F and top 4D budget (down the road).

 

[BankStreetParade]

Connor Brown, at the right price, will never hurt your team. On a really good team, he plays down the lineup in a two-way shutdown role and uses his excellent work ethic to be a positive for the team. On this current roster, he plays well enough to give you some flexibility throughout the lineup while your young guys learn how to excel in the NHL. As long as the dollar figure is right on his extension, there's no reason to trade him.

 

[Qward]

I can’t see this happening. Duclair has so much more upside than Brown. He will for sure get a higher cap hit.

He has 1 good year. They told him he needed to prove himself. If he didnt he would probably be out of the league. They arent going to open up the safe from him.

 

[Xspyrit]

If your paying Brown $3.5 to play a 3-4 line checking roll you are taking that money out of your top 6F and top 4D budget (down the road).

Of course, and even more for a team like Ottawa that operates on a tight budget. It's not very ideal because you need quality bottom-6 players like Pageau and Brown. Not my call, not my salary cap structure. Trade Pageau and Brown if you are scared to pay them but at some point, the goal is to compete to not only make the playoffs, but to win the Stanley Cup. A 3rd line of Formenton-Pageau-Bown would be great and help your team win. However, we're paranoid with money on this board because of what we have been used to. We talk about being careful and don't spend too much on a guy like Brown when we haven't been close to a cap team in more than a decade

If it takes 4 x 4 for Connor Brown, you do it IMO and deal with "cap problems" later. Make trades, buyouts, bury a player or two in the AHL, I dunno but that's how you compete, it's very expensive to operate a NHL team so if Melnyk can't, somebody else needs to have the opportunity to run it.

 

[stempniaksen]

I wouldn't necessarily call C.Brown a "bottom-six" player. I think he can be used in a complimentary role anywhere in the top-nine and open things up for his more skilled linemates (not unlike the role he played 2 years ago in TO, or to a guy like Zach Hyman when he plays with Tavares/Marner). That doesn't mean you break the bank for him, but there's a price to be paid for these utility guys and they can still contribute from anywhere in the lineup.

As long as this team has a pipeline of ELC's to fill in the gaps (which they do/will) I have no issue with a 3x3.5/4 type of deal.

 

[Sensmileletsgo]

He has 1 good year. They told him he needed to prove himself. If he didnt he would probably be out of the league. They arent going to open up the safe from him.

If Ottawa doesn’t pay Duclair someone will once he’s no longer a RFA. He has had a big breakout year.

 

[Sweatred]

Of course, and even more for a team like Ottawa that operates on a tight budget. It's not very ideal because you need quality bottom-6 players like Pageau and Brown. Not my call, not my salary cap structure. Trade Pageau and Brown if you are scared to pay them but at some point, the goal is to compete to not only make the playoffs, but to win the Stanley Cup. A 3rd line of Formenton-Pageau-Bown would be great and help your team win. However, we're paranoid with money on this board because of what we have been used to. We talk about being careful and don't spend too much on a guy like Brown when we haven't been close to a cap team in more than a decade

If it takes 4 x 4 for Connor Brown, you do it IMO and deal with "cap problems" later. Make trades, buyouts, bury a player or two in the AHL, I dunno but that's how you compete, it's very expensive to operate a NHL team so if Melnyk can't, somebody else needs to have the opportunity to run it.

Do you think are chances of winning are better with an “enriched third line” at the expense of a typical second line?

I see you logic but I prefer to go dumpster diving for effective 3-4 liners. However, Duclair is prof that affordable 1-2 liners can be found too.

 

[BonHoonLayneCornell]

Do you think are chances of winning are better with an “enriched third line” at the expense of a typical second line?

I see you logic but I prefer to go dumpster diving for effective 3-4 liners. However, Duclair is prof that affordable 1-2 liners can be found too.

My thinking for sure. I don't think they have any other option if you're being realistic about the budget.

You can't make it a 100% solid rule, but I would way rather take the ELC/Cheap Vet flyers on the bottom six F, bottom 2 D and the backup G. Things like having a $2.5 mil backup goalie are just not luxuries this franchise gets if they want to compete.

We have no ability to clean up messes and every buyout/retention/non covered LTIR portion will impact the total player budget either way, so Dorion's margin for error on term is almost nil imo. If we have 75 mil budget with 5 mil in buyouts, you're down to 70 regardless how you got there. We need Dorion to be almost perfect the next few years or they could quickly end up in the same spot.

Short term is fine, but there is so much yet to shake out, I see no player other than Duclair I want to tie myself to beyond 3 years.

 

[ReginKarlssonLehner]

I love Brown his play is infectious. Gotta keep this guy.

 

[Clayonator]

4x4 for Carrot Top.

 

[Xspyrit]

Do you think are chances of winning are better with an “enriched third line” at the expense of a typical second line?

I see you logic but I prefer to go dumpster diving for effective 3-4 liners. However, Duclair is prof that affordable 1-2 liners can be found too.

I don't know, if I am a billionaire and want to win the Stanley Cup, I am not scared to spend. If I want to make the bottom line of my (smaller market) team more"profitable" then I am very cautious of how spend. So we are facing reality here and is the owner is either unwilling or not in a financial position to go "all in" (the irony)

Richer teams wouldn't be forced to trade/sell most of their quality players when they become expensive. Like I said earlier, you spend and then you advise later when you face "cap issues". Gosh, that'd be fun to be stuck against the cap for a change

Teams committed to win (see Mark Stone comments for example) would gladly take Pageau and Brown for the next 5 years, even for more than 4 M$ each per season, unless they were already really deep and expensive at the forward position.

 

[BatherSeason]

Connor Brown is still an RFA, IMO they need to get rid of most of their UFAs this yr & then look at possibly moving Tierny, Anisimov & maybe Brown next yr although it could be difficult since the coach loves this guy. I also think if he ever starts to score consistently he could become a star for Ottawa & they are thin on RW.

Connor Brown is only one inch taller than Rudy Balcers.

 

[aragorn]

Connor Brown is only one inch taller than Rudy Balcers.

But plays a 200' game, is great defensively & on the PK, good playmaker & chips in offensively & the coach loves him. You also need players who can prevent goals.

 

[tardigrade81]

I love Brown his play is infectious. Gotta keep this guy.

Agreed.

 

[stempniaksen]

Brown is averaging the 19th highest TOI/game for all forwards in the NHL.

With the deadline coming up and DJ's propensity to shorten the bench, can he get into the top-10? top-15? Kind of a crazy thought at the beginning of the season, but assuming he gets his 20+ minutes/night down the stretch he should be able to move into that range.

 

[Sens of Anarchy]

Sell Sell Sell

 

[DueDiligence]

I can’t see this happening. Duclair has so much more upside than Brown. He will for sure get a higher cap hit.

I'm not sure Duclair has much more upside than Brown. AD caught fire the first half but hasn't scored since before Christmas. Brown plays a more complete game.

 

[BondraTime]

Killorn had 3 40 point seasons in a row, to go along with 33 playoff points in those same seasons, on one of the best teams in the league at the time of his signing.

Not sure why Brown would be able to get the same contract, inflation notwithstanding.

 

[MatchesMalone]

Sell Sell Sell

I just don't see the need to hurry. He's RFA, not UFA. People keep saying "sell high" like this is the best chance we're gonna get. But why would his value not continue to improve? We've got a bunch of other players who are actual UFAs coming off the books to make room for the kids, and as everyone keeps saying, the coach loves him, so there's no reason to think he won't still be in the top six next year, except now Tkachuk, Balcers, Batherson and Logan Brown will be another year developed, not to mention Brännstrom, Chabot and Wolanin. If we're lucky we add a Lafreniere or Byfield directly to the lineup.

The team will be improved next year, especially if we keep just a couple of the better veterans. Not saying we'll be seriously fighting for a playoff spot, but a little better than we are now. So with more skill around him, and him still playing big minutes, why wouldn't his value continue to increase? Also other GMs understand that this is just one good year, they're not fooled into thinking he's a legit top six player. If he has two or three good years that changes the complexion.

I can see one problem: right now the team getting him gets a year of RFA control, and if we sign him one year and trade him as a rental that hurts his value, but if we can sign him to a reasonable deal for two years, trade him next deadline or summer then the team getting him still gets a year under contract. Or better yet, sign him three years so he's getting a chance to play with the prospects as they are really starting to develop, and as soon as the picture becomes clear that there are better options throughout the top six and we really don't need him, whenever that is, maybe after a year and a half, two years, then trade him when his value is actually at its absolute peak.

 

[bert]

Id give him 3 years 10.5 million. He can move up and down the lineup, works really hard and is defensively responsible. In 3 seasons this team is going to look very different. Outside of Tkachuk i wouldnt give anyone else more than 3 years.

 

[Micklebot]

Killorn had 3 40 point seasons in a row, to go along with 33 playoff points in those same seasons, on one of the best teams in the league at the time of his signing.

Not sure why Brown would be able to get the same contract, inflation notwithstanding.

Inflation aside, Tampa seems to consistently get discounts when re-signing their players. Florida is no income tax state I believe, and obviously has the nice weather to go along with it. Got to add that cold weather, high tax rate premium to any comparison...