Perhaps fewer folks around the league should have overlooked the New Jersey Devils’ acquisition of Connor Brown.
As of Saturday night, the Devils are 4-1-0 on the season following an impressive victory over the Edmonton Oilers, are amid a four-game win streak, and are maturing right before our eyes.
READ MORE: Why the Devils are Showing Signs of Maturity, Not Quite There Yet
Brown, 31, was acquired over the summer through free agency, signing a four-year deal that carries a $3 million average annual value.
Thus far, the contract projects to be a bargain. Through five games, Brown’s registered three goals, and if you’re the kind of person who likes to track 82-game pace, he’s on pace for 49 goals.
Is he likely to hit that number? Perhaps not.
Suffice to say, it’s been a strong start to the year for the new Devils veteran.
On why, he chose the Devils in the first place, Brown revealed it was a strategic choice.
“I think when I was in the summer, strategically, I kind of wanted to come here because I felt like it really fit my skill set,” Brown said. “We’re a team that plays really fast, a team that plays with a lot of skill, a high tempo, a high motor team. And so I think that’s kind of where I shine.”
Brown has served as a Swiss-Army knife for the Devils, unlike one they’ve had before. General manager Tom Fitzgerald’s No.1 priority in the summer was to acquire more forward depth. Yes, even before inking Luke Hughes.
Thus, Brown comes in, and has provided just that. However, he’s also out on the ice in checking roles, and on the penalty kill.
By the way, a penalty kill unit that is 19 for it’s last 20 tries, and is a plus-two in goal differential. Why is that? Well, Brown has a lot to do with it.
On Saturday, the Devils held a 2-1 lead in the third period, yet were down a man as a result of a high-sticking minor.
Despite being shorthanded, Brown found himself sprung for a breakaway, and padded the Devils’ lead, providing the 3-1 insurance marker against his former club.
“Yeah, it’s been great to see,” head coach Sheldon Keefe stated. “Obviously, we’ve had picked up where we left off last season, even with some of the small tweaks that [Brad Shaw] put into the group and some new guys. I mean, [Luke] Glendening and Brown are the first two over the boards for us on most of the time, and they obviously weren’t with us last season. So they just stayed with it.”
On a breakaway against his former club, Brown was asked what went through his mind as he made his way toward the Oilers’ end of the ice. Amid a laugh, he revealed the advice Leon Draisaitl gave him that contributed to the goal.
“I was actually just trying not to laugh against [Calvin] Pickard,” Brown chuckled. “We’ve got a pretty good bond. But I was telling the guys, Draisaitl used to always tell me to go backhand-forehand on breakaway’s. So I thought I’d try it, and it worked.”
The Devils are different this season. There’s a new, and abundantly obvious sense of maturity that’s grown with the core in New Jersey. That’s partially because of Brown’s addition.
The Devils sought a player in Brown that can contribute in all facets of the game. However, they were also seeking the person he is, and it’s resonated with the Devils’ stars and top players.
“That was good,” Jack Hughes said with a smile on Brown scoring against his former team. “I think me, personally, I’ve really enjoyed having Brown here. I know our group loves his game. We needed a guy like that. For him to come in and score against his old team, a nice goal, too. I’m pumped for him that he did that.”
Coming off back-to-back Stanley Cup appearances is enough to make any general manager interested in Brown via free agency. However, the Devils won the bid, and now Brown is surprising his teammates with his diverse skill set.
“I was actually telling him the other day, I didn’t realize how good he actually was,” Brett Pesce admitted. “He was in the West, and I didn’t play him much, but yeah, he’s a heck of a player. He does everything. I didn’t realize how fast he is, either. So we’re lucky to have him, that’s for sure.”
This isn’t the first time Keefe has coached Brown. The duo of Keefe and Brown worked together in the American Hockey League while they were both with the Toronto Marlies from 2014 to 2016. Now, they’re both in the bigs, and are employed with New Jersey with the same goal.
A Stanley Cup.
On what Keefe has seen in Brown’s development between then and now:
“I don’t know if I’d say much has grown,” Keefe started. “I think it’s just that he’s become the NHL version of what I had at the AHL level. You know, he’s always been a top-notch person and teammate. His leadership qualities stand out the very first day that you’re with him. His skating and his tenacity on the puck. He’s a smart player. He reads the play very well. So you can use them anywhere in the lineup. And he’s got, I would say, an underrated skill set. He’s scored 20 goals in the league before, but he can make plays and drive possession and do all those kinds of things that can help you anywhere in your lineup, and in tough matchups and such. So he’s been outstanding for us here, and it was a good night for him.”
Perhaps it’s easy to be overlooked on a team that employs both Draisaitl and Connor McDavid. The Devils have their superstars, too. Yet, Brown’s fit in New Jersey stands out early amid the Devils’ ascent in 2025-26. His versatile ability on the ice has made them the Devils deeper than ever before, and his off-ice presence is helping bring the locker room closer than it’s ever been before.
