The New Jersey Devils desperately needed bottom-six help after the group was severely underwhelming last season. Coming into the offseason, it was clear that it was a priority for GM Tom Fitzgerald. He didn't waste any time addressing the issue.
On July 1st, the first day of free agency, they signed winger Connor Brown to a four-year, $12 million deal. Brown is known for his great two-way play, providing another fantastic penalty killer to the team as well. He isn't known for his scoring, but he can be a bright spot in the bottom six.
Brown finished the regular season with 13 goals and 17 assists in 82 games, along with a +/- of +9. Not only that, but he also had solid playoff performances, providing five goals and four assists in 20 games. His career high in points came in the 2019-20 season when he was with the Ottawa Senators; he had 43 points that included 16 goals and 27 assists.
What makes this addition the most important?
This signing adds depth to a Devils roster that last year's team clearly showed was needed during plenty of low points. Brown's two-way play and defensive awareness will significantly enhance the team's overall performance, making it very difficult for opponents to score on a daily basis.
His presence and play will not only help out the bottom six group but also take some pressure off the top lines with his scoring ability. Connor Brown's career high in goals came in the 2020-21 season with the Ottawa Senators, scoring 21 times. The Devils lacked in 5-on-5 scoring last season. This is something Tom Fitzgerald mentioned after signing Brown, as he stated, "The one thing we were looking for was 5-on-5 play. When you look at the goals total of Brown, the majority are at 5-on-5."
Playoff experience in the NHL is very important, especially when your teammates don't have as much. Connor Brown brings some recent playoff experience as he was on the Oilers teams that made it to the Stanley Cup back-to-back seasons. In those two playoff runs, Brown had 15 points in 39 games while playing in the top six alongside superstar Connor McDavid. Now he isn't expected to play on the top lines in New Jersey, but things can always change throughout the season.
As of today, it looks like Connor Brown will play at right wing on the third line with Dawson Mercer at center and Arseniy Gritsyuk at left wing. This could possibly move Paul Cotter down to the fourth line with Cody Glass and new addition Evgenii Dadonov. As for the penalty kill units, it depends on what head coach Sheldon Keefe prefers, but it looks like Brown would slot into the second unit rather than the first.