Oilers finally see the influence of healthy Connor Brown – Hockey Writer – Edmonton Oilers

There is a saying in hockey: “They don’t ask how, they just ask how much.” For the forward of Edmonton Oilers’ forward Connor Brown might say: “They don’t ask how much, they just ask when.”

Brown has a trick to scoring goals in the playoffs, even though he struggles to find the back of the net in the regular season. In the 2023-24 season, he scored 54 games without goals and his career with the Oilers began. Of course, this is not what everyone expects, especially after Connor McDavid recruited his former Erie Otter teammate.

Despite the struggle, Brown was confident to end the season’s strength and brought his progressive goals into the playoffs. He scored four goals and eight assists before scoring six points as the Oilers reached the Stanley Cup final.

2024-25 regular season experiences a much smoother, with Brown scoring 13 goals and 17 assists in 82 games. Now, the forward has four goals and two assists. Map on the chart, his work will be a steady climb line that reflects his recovery from a devastating ACL injury.

Brown is finally healthy and feels comfortable and we are all witnessing the impact McDavid can have when he joined the Oilers two seasons ago.

Brown’s admission he finally felt good

Brown suffered a tear from the ACL on October 17, 2023. This was his first season with the Washington Capitals, but he played only four games before being eliminated. He recovered and worked to “remodel over the next six months [his] Biomechanics. “Even if he played 71 games with the Oilers next season, he is not completely healthy.

After Brown had a goal and two assists in Game 6, a reporter asked him how he could have played his best hockey in the past few months. Brown said:

I think the biggest thing is that I’ve always been happy. I’m back to my own self. Just love it.

Playing and feeling healthy are directly related. Imagine how difficult it is to “have fun” when the disease keeps getting messy. Pushing this pain or discomfort distracts the players from their best hockey ball. This is a fact that is often overlooked when fans judge performances.

Oilman insider Bob Stauffer recently said this to Ryan Whitney in an episode of Ryan Whitney. Whitney was injured while playing for the Oilers, Stauffer admitted:

People forget how severe your injury is. When you try to come back through it, you will never be exactly the same.

Given Brown and Stauffer’s offer, it’s safe to assume that Brown isn’t fully comfortable or completely healed in the 2023-24 regular season. After a laborious recovery process, he is finding his foothold. He is not the same player.

Playoff impact

Brown’s playoff numbers prove his health and comfort. He scored four goals in nine games twice as many as he won in the playoffs last season. He is adding 2, with an average of more than 15 minutes of ice time per night – almost four more minutes than a year ago. His 14 goals have matched the total in the last playoffs, with his shooting percentage increasing from 14% to 28%. Eventually, he accumulated ice time in the playoffs closer than last season’s deep running.

Related: The Oilers get what they deserve when crushing the Golden Knight

Brown is more confident in his performance and head coach Kris Knoblauch is rewarding him with increased ice time and sense of responsibility. Brown’s teammates didn’t shy away from singing, and Zach Hyman commented on Vegas Golden Knights after the first game:

He is great. I think you see a very confident brownie. I think when he had a hockey, he was playing with the hockey. In the playoffs, there are a lot of people, when that moment gets big, you tend to be nervous and you tend to rush to drama or force something. But Brownie is a guy who comes here. He can not only play games, but also improve his own game. And he has a strong, strong sense of self-confidence. He is a player.

McDavid conveyed a similar view, “He seems to be able to improve his game. He has only very little strength on him. He is just able to improve it in the most important period.”

Connor Brown’s fourth goal #StanleyCup Playoffs limit first game victory @edmontonoilersWhere 🤩#NHLSTATS: pic.twitter.com/vecfi8vneq

– NHL (@NHL) May 7, 2025

How much more can you say to your teammates?

Important works of running deep

Watching Brown get back to his form is not only a good story. His performance is crucial for the Oilers to hope for future success in the playoffs. Hyman and McDavid know this, which is why they say what they say. And, every fan and analyst acknowledges that the importance of offensive depth to the team is very important. Brown couldn’t choose a better time to find his own game.