BROWN AIMING TO MAKE IMPACT, INCREASE OFFENCE
Gritty two-way forward excited about fresh start in Ottawa following trade
Connor Brown will have to play the waiting game to face his old teammates.
Fortunately, he won’t have to wait long.
While the newly acquired winger won’t face the Toronto Maple Leafs in the pre-season opener at the Mile One Arena here on Tuesday night, he should be in the lineup on Wednesday in the second game of this back-toback series at the Canadian Tire Centre.
Brown has a chance to make his mark with his new teammates — and the belief is he’ll make an impact.
With general manager Pierre Dorion, coach D.J. Smith and the staff trying to figure out where everybody fits, the answers to those questions will begin on Tuesday night when the Senators open the exhibition schedule against the Leafs.
Acquired from the Leafs in the deal that brought defenceman Nikita Zaitsev here July 1 and sent Cody Ceci to Toronto, the 25-year-old Brown has the chance to play an offensive role with the Senators. He already has shown he has no shortage of skill.
While he finished with eight goals and 29 points in 82 games with Toronto last season, Brown is only two years removed from a 20-goal campaign with the Leafs in 2016-17. He has been on the top line with Colin White and Brady Tkachuk during camp and there’s belief they will be given every opportunity to find chemistry.
Brown thinks he can play a big role in helping the Senators get to where they want to be.
“Anywhere you play you want to cement yourself as a core guy,” Brown said during camp. “That’s what I’m going to try to do here and I’m going to do my best to fit in.”
Brown’s role had changed under Toronto coach Mike Babcock. It was a big reason he was part of the deal to the Senators.
Smith, who spent the last four years in the Leafs’ organization, believes if Brown is given the right role, he can be an offensive player for this team while also playing responsibly at both ends of the ice.
Brown could read the situation, feeling his days with the Leafs were numbered because he’s making $2.1 million this season while Toronto was trying to make room for restricted free agent Mitch Marner. “I was at a wedding, so it was a bit of a shock, but I did think that something might be coming and I didn’t think my future in Toronto was cemented or certain,” he said. “I knew with the salary cap going on there, and just with the kind of role I was being used in, I knew that I was the kind of guy that would have been easier to move.
“I ... (was) honest about the situation so I wasn’t too shocked.”
Given the fact the Senators are going young — and Brown isn’t old by any stretch of the imagination — his three years of experience are certainly going to help.
“It’s a little bit (of a fresh start),” Brown said. “I just think I was playing a different role in Toronto with the type of players they have up the middle and with all the offence they have. I was on the penalty kill and trying to be as defensive-minded as possible playing against some of the better guys on offensive teams.
“Hopefully, this year, I expand the offensive side of my game.”
Brown feels there could be a long-term fit with White and Tkachuk.
“Those guys are really easy to play with,” Brown said. “Both are really good players. We’ll continue to build. I think we’re all pretty keen and we enjoy playing with each other. That’s the first step.”
Of course, Brown is well aware of the Senators’ position, with young players learning on a nightly basis. There was no shortage of expectations with the Leafs, but those don’t exist here. People want the Senators to be competitive and take a step in the right direction this season.
“In Toronto, we felt we were a Cup contender, and it’s a little different here being in a bit of a rebuild,” Brown said. “I’ve gotten accustomed to the team and the kind of guys we have in the system and the way we want to play. I think we’ll be a lot better than people think.”
The adjustment has been easy for Brown.
“You always think when you see everybody around you getting traded, it’s going to be you and now it comes,” said Brown. “It’s going to be a good opportunity for me here. I fit in well with the guys, everybody seems to get along, and there’s a good group in there. I’m just excited to get it going.”
Anywhere you play you want to cement yourself as a core guy. That’s what I’m going to try to do here and I’m going to do my best to fit in.