"Honoured to be part of this": Brown excited to be with Oilers after year of adversity
Connor Brown isn’t taking the opportunity he has been given by the Edmonton Oilers lightly.
After being acquired in a trade from the Ottawa Senators, 29-year-old Brown had hoped to impress last season with the Washington Capitals. That wasn’t able to happen, however, as an ACL tear just four games into the year cost him his season. He learned during that time just how much of a privilege it is to play in the NHL, and is thrilled to have that opportunity again with the Oilers.
“I feel up to speed, I feel ready to go,” Brown told reporters on Thursday. “It was obviously a lot of adversity this year, I learned a lot. It’s a lot of hard work to dig yourself out of that hole, so I’m that much more grateful to be a part of not only playing again, but to be able to play with this group.”
Due to their tight salary cap situation, the Oilers could only make a few additions to their roster this offseason. The biggest of the bunch was the signing of Brown, who took less money to come to Edmonton in hopes of winning a Stanley Cup. It is expected that he will start the season on a line with his former Eerie Otters teammate, Connor McDavid.
“This groups in a great spot,” Brown said. “Everyone’s really hungry, so it’s a really exciting time to be an Oiler. I feel honoured to be part of this.”
Throughout his six full NHL seasons, Brown has hit the 20-goal barrier twice and registered a career-high 43 points in 2019-20. Given that he will likely pair up with McDavid, many are expecting him to shatter his previous career highs, though questions remain as to what he will look like after his major injury. Based on his comments, however, it seems as though he is not only completely ready to go, but is coming in more motivated than ever.
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