Free agent forward Connor Brown has signed a three year deal with the Toronto Maple Leafs with a value of $6.3 million. Brown is entering his second full season in the National Hockey League.
Connor Brown Signs With Toronto Maple Leafs
Brown was drafted into the NHL in 2012 by the Toronto Maple Leafs, spending his first few years split between the Erie Otters and Toronto Marlies before earning his first call up to the NHL during the 2015-16 season. That season, he played in seven games, scoring once and adding four assists for a total of five points. In the 2016-17 season, Brown played in all 82 of the Leafs’ regular season games, contributing 20 goals and 16 assists. Throughout their short-lived playoff run, he tallied but one assist in six games.
All told, Brown has skated in 89 NHL games in the past two years. In that time, he has scored 21 goals and has added 21 assists. He has broken the twenty goal marker once already in his young career and will look to do so again in the coming year. In Brown, Toronto has brought back a promising young winger and will certainly look to him to improve upon his stats from last season.
The #Leafs announced tonight the signing of F Connor Brown to a 3-year extension with an average annual value of $2.1 million per season.
— Leafs PR (@LeafsPR) August 27, 2017
Coming in at just $2.1 million per year, Brown is a big bargain for the Leafs. With cap space a concern looking into the near future for Toronto, retaining Connor Brown for just over $2 million is a fantastic contract for the Leafs. For comparison, Zach Hyman received a four-year deal earlier in the summer which carries a cap hit of $2.25 million per season.
Brown will look to continue to progress next year after recording 20 goals in his debut season. Often found beside Nazem Kadri and Leo Komarov, Connor Brown could be a major piece for the Leafs in the coming three seasons.
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