When Connor Brown faces the Toronto Maple Leafs in a New Jersey Devils sweater tonight, it won’t just be another NHL reunion — it’ll be a reminder of what persistence looks like. Brown was never supposed to make it this far. Drafted in the sixth round by the Maple Leafs in 2012, he was one of those “nice stories.”
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Brown was a local kid from Toronto who overachieved in junior, scored 128 points with the Erie Otters, and willed his way up the hockey ladder. With the Otters, he was a teammate of the great Connor McDavid and even outscored him in the 2013-14 season. In fact, the 19-year-old Brown topped a 16-year-old McDavid by a wide margin (128 points to McDavid’s 99) and led the Ontario Hockey League in scoring. Brown’s 45 goals helped drive the Otters’ powerhouse offence. McDavid, who dazzled with 71 assists, was still refining the generational skill set that would soon take over the NHL.
Brown’s Maple Leafs Start Showed Promise
Brown cracked the Maple Leafs lineup full-time in 2016–17, putting up 20 goals in his rookie season — the same season Auston Matthews, Mitch Marner, and William Nylander began reshaping the franchise. He was versatile, dependable, and willing to do the little things that didn’t make highlight reels. In three full seasons in Toronto, Brown averaged 31 points per year while playing a mix of middle-six and penalty-kill minutes.
(Amy Irvin / The Hockey Writers)
When he was traded to the Ottawa Senators in 2019 as part of the Nikita Zaitsev–Cody Ceci swap, it wasn’t because of a lack of performance — it was cap math. The Maple Leafs needed space, and Brown was the kind of player every coach loves but every GM sometimes has to sacrifice.
From Ottawa, Brown Moved to Role Player, to Journeyman
Ottawa turned out to be Brown’s best chapter statistically. He scored 43 points in 2019–20 and followed that with a 21-goal season in 2020–21. On a rebuilding Senators team, Brown became one of the steadying presences — a penalty killer, a quiet leader, and a reliable voice in a young room.
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After Ottawa, his career took him to the Washington Capitals, where a knee injury derailed his 2022–23 season after only four games. He landed with the Edmonton Oilers the next season, and though his regular season was modest (12 points), he became a trusted bottom-six grinder during the team’s 2025 Stanley Cup run (five goals and nine points in 20 playoff games).
(Photo by Andy Devlin/NHLI via Getty Images)
That playoff performance revived his career. This summer, he signed a four-year, $12 million deal with the Devils — not bad for a player many thought might be nearing the end. Through five games this season, Brown already has three goals, including a shorthanded score against his old Oilers teammates on Saturday.
Brown Opened My Eyes to Nylander
Funny enough, it was Brown who first changed the way I saw William Nylander. In one of his early interviews, Brown talked about how Nylander was the most laid-back guy he’d ever met until the skates hit the ice. Then he was relentless. Brown described how Nylander was always out there before practice, stick-handling through rows of pucks, quietly refining what would become one of the smoothest offensive games in the NHL.
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That small insight from Brown stuck with me. It showed me that Nylander’s easygoing nature wasn’t disinterest – it was focus. And it took a player like Brown, who had to fight for every minute he played, to notice and appreciate that kind of quiet dedication.
What Kind of Player Will Maple Leafs’ Fans See Tonight?
At 31, Brown isn’t the fresh-faced rookie who once skated on Matthews’ wing. He’s now the kind of player every contender wants. In Toronto, he was steady, reliable, unflashy, and entirely unafraid of the hard minutes. With over 600 NHL games of experience, Brown has 261 points and a reputation as a coach’s player: smart, detailed, and trustworthy.
(Jess Starr/The Hockey Writers)
In many ways, his career mirrors the kind of player the Maple Leafs are trying to develop under head coach Craig Berube — a forward who works both ends of the rink, kills penalties, and never cheats the game.
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So when Connor Brown takes his first shift back in Toronto, it will be more than a nostalgic moment. It’s a full-circle story about a kid who grew up here, earned everything he got, and kept going long after the spotlight moved on.
