Since 2024, after trading Tyler Toffoli, the New Jersey Devils have badly needed a veteran winger who could hang and play ball with the likes of Jack Hughes and Jesper Bratt. Finally, it appears that head coach Sheldon Keefe and the two speedsters have found their match.
The Devils have won seven of their last 10 games and have a (very) outside shot of making the playoffs, but it's no secret why. Keefe has Hughes rolling, and Bratt and Brown are along for the ride. In four of those seven wins, the Devils have scored five or more goals.
Brown's addition to the top line and power play has been a revelation for New Jersey, and he's something Hughes, in particular, hasn't had at his disposal since Toffoli left town. The same Toffoli who scored 26 times in 61 games for the Devils before getting dealt at the NHL trade deadline for second- and third-round picks.
Over the last five games, the Bratt, Hughes, and Brown trio has played 41:51 together at 5-on-5, according to Natural Stat Trick, out-attempting opponents 61-30, out-scoring opponents 4-2, and out-chancing opponents 25-15.
There's something to be said about losing the high-danger chance battle 5-4 over the same period of time, as well as their paltry 86.67% on-ice save percentage.
The rest of the Devils as a team are winning the high-danger chance battle by a slim 25-22 margin over the same period of time, but their on-ice save percentage is 87.32.
The difference is that Bratt, Hughes, and Brown own an on-ice shooting percentage of 14.81%, while the rest of the team sits at 9.21%.
All that is to say is that, while the Devils need better goaltending, the Hughes line is dominating offensively despite their average defensive performance.
That's a work in progress, but Keefe and the Devils know too well now that they have traded offense for defense for far too long, and it has cost them dearly. Now that the Devils have opened up and are playing like a desperate team, the goals are coming. That can't change, and especially not with this trio.
Brown, 32, is a skilled veteran on the wrong side of age 30, just like Toffoli, but he's found a home here with the Devils as the season draws to a dramatic close. That's why it's imperative for the Devils to turn the ship around this season, as well as next year, to make it count this time.