Clearly, Connor Brown was rewarded by the Toronto Maple Leafs by handing his number 12 to Patrick Marleau.
OK, that’s probably not the trigger, but either way, the Maple Leafs signed Brown for three years, $6.3 million on Saturday. Brown, 23, carries a cap hit of $2.1M.
Brown generated 20 goals and 36 points in 82 regular-season games last season, averaging 16:12 TOI. He logged even more minutes during that six-game series against the Capitals, averaging 18:14 per night.
Aside from seven games in 2015-16, last season constitutes the extent of Brown’s work in the NHL.
The 20 goals were nice, but there are other factors that make the $2.1 million seem fair considering other factors.
Connor Brown (re-signed with tor) looks pretty close to NHL average. pic.twitter.com/JFwRnM00hs
— Micah Blake McCurdy (@IneffectiveMath) August 27, 2017
The Athletic’s James Mirtle praised the deal, and also dropped a great, timely joke:
Connor probably having a better night than Conor.
— James Mirtle (@mirtle) August 27, 2017