The New Jersey Devils have signed former Edmonton Oilers forward Connor Brown to a four-year contract, with an annual cap hit of $3M.
Connor Brown’s player profile
After a rough 2023–24 regular season in which Brown was mostly getting back up to speed following a significant injury, Brown flourished a little more in 2024–25, as well as both last year’s and this year’s deep playoff runs. This past regular season, Brown tallied 30 points, 13 of them goals, while being one of the few Oilers to play all 82 games. He especially looked solid late in the season playing with junior teammate Connor McDavid, and Jeff Skinner.
In the postseason, Brown was a formidable third-line presence, totaling 15 points across 39 games. Most notably, Brown was a key contributor to the 2024 playoffs penalty kill, one of the best in Oilers franchise history. The penalty kill didn’t have the same success in 2025, but Brown at least averaged close to half a point per game to make up for it.
The player’s and teams’ perspective of this deal
For Brown, this is a major win securing a deal that will take him to age-35. $12M over the course of the deal is nothing to sneeze at, either. With this deal, Brown has set himself up well for the rest of his prime, until he becomes eligible for a bonus-laden 35+ contract.
The Devils may have overpaid for Brown’s services, but depth scoring was pretty thin for them last season. A major reason they bowed out on the first round to the Carolina Hurricanes was, with Jack Hughes lost to injury, they didn’t have nearly enough scoring (or defence and goaltending, for that matter) to compensate for his absence. Coming off a 30-point season and looking more like his younger self, betting on Brown is a solid move. Worst comes to worst, the Devils’ penalty kill will be better off for this.
For the Oilers, it’s a tough loss, as Brown has been a steady role-player in his two seasons in Edmonton. People wondered if he’d ever be the same after his brief Washington Capitals tenure ended due to injury, and he certainly contributed his fair share to the Oilers’ consecutive Stanley Cup Final appearances. Four years at $3M annually is a bit much, though. The Oilers will be better off finding someone younger, and less costly, to fill Brown’s void.
His time with Edmonton will be remembered fondly, though. Thank you for your service, Downtown Connor Brown!
