The Future Of Connor Brown In Toronto

[Nylanderthal]

Connor Brown will be the first of many guys we see roll through here for their ELC & bridge deals then moved on when the cap crunches. Exactly the kind of player you utilize then cash out on before they become a burden on your cap.
At the latest he's gone at the draft for a 2nd round pick or something similar, or used as a sweetener to dump a bad contract.

 

[Jack Bauer]

Connor Brown will be the first of many guys we see roll through here for their ELC & bridge deals then moved on when the cap crunches. Exactly the kind of player you utilize then cash out on before they become a burden on your cap.
At the latest he's gone at the draft for a 2nd round pick or something similar, or used as a sweetener to dump a bad contract.

Since he's signed through next year I view him as insurance against a Kapanen/Johnsson monster breakout pricing themselves off our team.

If they want to play hard ball and ask for much more then Connor then you keep Connor and move one of them.

They could also be how you dump a Zaitsev with Brown again being kept as a cheap top 9 option next season.

Having options is a key in a cap system. Brown and Hyman let us be tough with our wingers who are not named Mitch Marner negotiation wise.

 

[57 Years No Cup]

Since he's signed through next year I view him as insurance against a Kapanen/Johnsson monster breakout pricing themselves off our team.

If they want to play hard ball and ask for much more then Connor then you keep Connor and move one of them.

They could also be how you dump a Zaitsev with Brown again being kept as a cheap top 9 option next season.

Having options is a key in a cap system. Brown and Hyman let us be tough with our wingers who are not named Mitch Marner negotiation wise.

Are getting a new tough GM first?

 

[GuthrieGovan]

He's one of the players I can see getting the boot.

Gotta figure out how to pay the top 4, 2.1 mil is a nice bump.

 

[Wafflewhipper]

When he debuted he was more productive (though his stats were likely inflated because of some of the opportunities he received) and just looked better as a player. He was kind of like Bozak in that he wasn't exactly dazzling but could make smart plays and had some of the fundamental skills you want a top nine player to have.

Now I basically don't notice him a lot of the time, he doesn't produce well enough for a guy who gets regular top nine minutes on a team that has rather good forward depth and he seems more like a vanilla fourth line player or a guy a team calls up from the AHL. Is he really needed going forward with the emerge of Kapanen and Johnsson? What does the future have in store for him in Toronto?

You will notice him if there is important defensive minutes to play. Babcock will have him out killing thst late third period penalty.

Nothing serious, just saving the teams bacon defensively, conpletely reliable and consistent. One of Babcocks kostbtrusted players.

Brings it every night. Points aren't the whe story whennit cones to Brownie

 

[TheProspector]

Brown is a helluva story. Love him. But we can't overpay for him. And, even if he is worth what he's earning right now, he's not on our team. Connor Brown's future in Toronto is either returning to his hometown after retirement, or taking a league minimum deal because he wants to win cups -- and, in the process, giving most of his earnings to Matthews, Marner, Nylander, and Tavares, because they didn't take team friendly deals... and/or because we have so much money tied up with Zaitsev and Marleau. Take your pick. But there's no room at the inn for Connor, sadly.

One of the best 6th round picks to play the game. And underrated all of his career.

Oh hai Trevor Moore.

 

[ANDI P IS CUTE]

Babcock shouldn’t get a say, he is a coach so he can coach the players he is given. Especially when you factor in he is the highest paid coach. Dubas should do what we he has to do and babs should shut his mouth and coach

if you think thats the reality your nuts!

 

[ANDI P IS CUTE]

brown hasnt gotten any better whatsoever, thats the issue- semi young decent 3rd 4th liner, def resp., bad at scoring. boring plain yawn, get Moore up here.

 

[Davidos193]

What do you all expect from Brown? Yes he isn't scoring as much as he did his rookie year and he's been invisible a number of games. But he's still on pace for approx. 30 points with 3rd/4th line minutes. That's not bad at all. Some of you think he's overpaid. Do you know a lot of players that will score 30 points and get less than 2 million? You guys are dreaming if you think you can pay a guy 1 or 1.5 million for his production. Besides, it's not just about producing points. Brown is being groomed as a solid two way player. He isn't expected to score a lot of goals, that's not his role on a team this skilled. He's a forward who is expected to play on shutdown and/or checking line, the kind of guy you can put on the ice late in the game. He is defensively sound, kills penalties, plays hard, and does many little things right. He doesn't need to be flashy. He's the kind of third/fourth line player you want in a deep playoff run. At 2 million/year, he's underrated. There is no need to trade him unless it's an overpayment. Don't be surprised if he's back to 15-20 goal form next season. And even if he remains a 10 goal / 3o point 2-way forward, he's still a keeper.

 

[Davidos193]

The other thing to keep in mind is that the Leafs won't be able to keep all 4 of Brown, Johnsson, Kapanen, and Nylander. One of them will have to go, due to the salary cap. Let's look at their salaries: Brown is at $2 mil. Nylander is at 7$mil. Johnsson and Kapanen will each be around 3 to 4mil, perhaps more. Brown is less productive, but his salary is also a drop in the bucket compared to the other guys. This will likely save his tenure as a Leaf. It will be one of Kap, Johnsson, Nylander who will be traded. It's unfortunate that we have to trade one, but inevitable. At the same time, those are the guys who get you a good return. Brown will get you peanuts (his numbers this year are okay but not great) -there is no need to just give him away. On the other hand, the other guys can get you a young cost-controlled top 4 Dman.

 

[Dirty Dan]

yup hes gone

 

[ashs]

If he's gone we need to get something for him.

 

[Leafs87]

If he's gone we need to get something for him.

Yeah seriously no more good guy GM finding him a good home like he did with Leivo. This isn’t a puppy you can’t care for anymore it’s a NHL player on an NHL team we need to maximize return on when he’s dealt

 

[Carltons Cup]

Trade him to Edmonton to reunite with McDavid.
Brown had 128 points playing alongside CMD. Go figure.

In return, I'll take a 3rd rounder...

 

[ashs]

Trade him to Edmonton to reunite with McDavid.
Brown had 128 points playing alongside CMD. Go figure.

In return, I'll take a 3rd rounder...

Khaira would b good.

 

[A1LeafNation]

Strome and Debrincat reunited and clicking...so why not.

 

[AreBe]

The upside of the shrinking NHL middle class is that the pool of fourth line veteran talent looking for 1m~ deals each year is going to grow. Guys like Ennis are going to take cheap deals and are easily serviceable players at the bottom of the roster

yeah sure in the sense of "hey mike, player x is available I can get him does he suit your plans" not in the sense of "you cant trade brown" or "use a 2nd I want a 4C". He can of course ask, but in now way shape or form should management go out of their way spending futures unless they deem it a worthy deal

It's max money deal or minimum wage- which is why we had to keep Sparks and why it would have been total Leafs Nation nuttersville to cut him. Supporting cutting Sparks does not make you a Leafs fan, but instead, a Leafs Nation imposter

We need to move Connor Brown- it is 10 mill or 1 mill but 2.5 to 8 mill is not acceptable, unless it is an older contract and was on the higher side when signed in which case the player with subsequently increased cap may be a steal

Jake is now not a rent to own but an own to rent, that is to say, already on our roster, we are going to lose him, but we have him, so he is like aquiring a rental for free, sort of. The middle class players we may need to lose are: 1 Jake Gardiner us D 28 6-2 203 L/- 7 July 4, 1990 2 G, 25 A, 27 P $4,050,000 2008 ANA 1st (17), Ron Hainsey us D 37 6-3 205 L/- 15 March 24, 1981 4 G, 12 A, 16 P $2,400,000 2000 MTL 1st (13) Zach Hyman ca C 26 6-1 209 R/- 3 June 9, 1992 10 G, 14 A, 24 P $2,000,000 2010 FLA 5th (123) 43 Nazem Kadri ca C 28 6-0 192 L/- 9 October 6, 1990 13 G, 19 A, 32 P $4,500,000 2009 TOR 1st (7) Patrick Marleau ca C 39 6-2 218 L/- 20 September 15, 1979 12 G, 14 A, 26 P $6,000,000 1997 SJS 1st (2) ( 2018-19 Toronto Maple Leafs Roster and Statistics | Hockey-Reference.com) If we keep them we will be frozen by the cap, but by moving them, it is like a cap defroster.

I'm here all week - try the veal!