Connor Brown: Fantasy Hockey Sleeper In Edmonton?
When Connor McDavid calls you don’t say no. That’s essentially what Connor Brown is doing this year. Brown is on an incentive-laden contract that will pay him just 775K this year. Edmonton will just have to deal with the cap overages next year if Brown shows out. That, however, seems likely when you skate with McJesus.
Brown, 29, just needs to stay healthy. Last year he played in just four games and health has been a huge issue over the last three years. Brown has proven he can be a 20 goal scorer when healthy and in this offense, that’s almost a certainty if he’s on the ice.
Want to hear a stat? I got one for you. McDavid had 153 points last year but he had his second lowest point total ever at five-on-five. 20-year-old McDavid had more even strength points than a year ago. McDavid still punched home 39 even strength goals but his linemates sucked last year. The days of carrying the dead corpse of Jesse Puljujärvi are over. Evander Kane wasn’t healthy last year either.
This year Brown will play right wing with McDavid and Kane as the other linemates. For that reason, I love Brown as a fantasy hockey darling. I get the injury part is a concern but Brown has every reason to stay on the ice. His entire contract is based on it. The draft price isn’t prohibitive either as ESPN has him ranked 171st overall. At that price, Brown is absolutely worth the risk.
As you gear up for your fantasy hockey season, make sure to give Connor Brown an extra look. He has all the makings to be a league winner in fantasy. Expect a career high in points if Brown stays healthy.
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