Connor Brown soaking in every bit of wild journey with Oilers

It has been quite a season for Edmonton Oilers forward Connor Brown as he finds himself preparing to play in Game 3 of the Stanley Cup Final later today.

The 30-year-old signed on with the Oilers last summer as the team’s flagship addition, and initial expectations from the media and fans had him as an important member of the team’s top six.

It was a risky bet, as Brown was coming off a year where he played in just four games with the Washington Capitals before undergoing season-ending ACL surgery. Yet, a full summer of recovery was expected to get him back in game shape.

When the season came, it was clear that wasn’t enough. Ten games passed without a goal, and then 20, and then 40, and finally, in Game 55, he managed to find the back of the net for the first time as an Oiler.

Brown finished the season with four goals and 12 points and found himself falling down the depth chart.

Evander Kane said in the @NHL_on_TNT pregame he wanted to set up Connor Brown with his first goal of the year…

Connor Brown just scored his first goal of the year from Evander Kane 🤯 pic.twitter.com/KXnYn3ogKd

— B/R Open Ice (@BR_OpenIce) March 14, 2024

For him, it’s a matter of staying positive and taking the punches as they come.

“It’s been a journey,” Brown told Daily Hive in an exclusive interview. “Coming off an injury and not feeling up to par at the beginning of the season compounded with being snake-bitten as much as I was and then kind of dragging myself out of that hole into playing good hockey down the stretch, good hockey in the playoffs.

“All that, it’s just kind of strengthened me to embrace these big moments.”

Despite all those struggles, Brown now finds himself in the lineup for a team in the Stanley Cup Final. He told Daily Hive that it’s been a season unlike any other he’s played during his career.

“It is dramatic and it’s important as an athlete to stay level-headed,” Brown explained. “It’s been a whirlwind of a season, but still some games to be played here. Still, some fun to be had.”

The playoffs have seen the offensive struggles continue, with just a single goal in 14 games, but he has embraced a new role lower down in the lineup. While it might not be what fans or the media initially expected, Brown says this is exactly the type of role that he envisioned himself being in when he signed with the Oilers.

“I think it’s the exact role that I anticipated for myself,” Brown said. “I knew that my best service is [that] I know that I’m a good penalty killer and I’m a great defensive player.

“When I came here, I looked at this group, and I think that’s what they needed help with.”

It’s now a critical time for Brown and the rest of the Oilers as they find themselves down 2-0 in the Stanley Cup Final to the Florida Panthers. With the series shifting back to Edmonton for Game 3, Brown says he is looking forward to playing in front of the fans who had his back all season long, in both the bad and good moments.

“It’ll be fun, it’ll be a lot of fun,” Brown said with a smile on his face. “You  get a chance to play in the Stanley Cup Final in Canada, being a Canadian and in front of these fans, it’s going to be an exciting game.”

Game time is set for 6 pm MT at Rogers Place.