Brown 'perfect addition' for Oilers, McDavid says

VAUGHAN, Ontario -- Call it respect between two Connors, a relationship that has been flourishing for more than a decade.

When Connor McDavid realized that his friend and former teammate Connor Brown was going to be an unrestricted free agent this summer, the Edmonton Oilers captain reached out.

And sure enough, McDavid's recruiting efforts paid off when Brown signed a one-year, $4 million contract with the Oilers on July 1.

"I think he's a great fit for the group," McDavid said prior to the Zach Hyman Celebrity Classic charity golf tournament at Eagles Nest Golf Club on Monday. "I think he fits in perfectly in the room, on the ice, all that type of stuff.

"When all is said and done, I think it's the perfect perfect addition."

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For McDavid, who is always looking to improve despite winning the Hart Trophy as the NHL's most valuable player for the third time last season, the word "perfect" is not used frequently in his vocabulary, let alone twice in the same sentence. Such is the strong belief he has in his friend.

Ironically, Brown's 2022-23 season was far from perfect.

Following three seasons with the Ottawa Senators, during which he ranked third on the team in goals (47) and assists (70), and second in points (117), Brown was traded to the Washington Capitals on July 13, 2022. At the time, Brown was looking forward to playing with future Hall of Famer Alex Ovechkin, but in just his fourth game, he sustained a season-ending ACL tear in his right knee.

As a result, with his future up in the air this offseason, Brown didn't need much prodding from McDavid to come to Edmonton.

"Obviously, when you have the best player in the world who wants you on their team and thinks that you can help them get over the hump, it means a lot after what was a tough season," Brown told TSN on July 1. "I'm excited to come to camp and be prepared.

"I want to win. I know Connor. I've known him for a long time and I know he wants to win bad. It's kind of the environment I want to be in. I'm coming off an injury and trying to get things back on track, so that was a massive factor in wanting to sign there."

If anyone knows what Brown can bring to a team, it's McDavid.

As a 15-year-old with the Toronto Marlboros AAA Minor Midget team in 2012, McDavid became the third player to be granted "exceptional player" status by the Ontario Hockey Federation, making him eligible for the 2012 Ontario Hockey League draft. At the time, the only two other players who had been granted that status for the OHL, where the standard draft age is 16, were forward John Tavares (2005) and defenseman Aaron Ekblad (2011).

McDavid was then selected with the No. 1 pick by the Erie Otters, and upon joining the team he was shown the ropes by Brown, who was Erie's captain during McDavid's first two seasons there. Brown had been selected by Erie in the 13th round (No. 251) of the 2010 OHL draft, which resulted in a huge chip on his shoulder due to a perceived lack of respect shown by the hockey world.

All the while, McDavid watched. He saw Brown as a man on a mission, and it was that type of focus that resonated with him.

"He's just so smart," McDavid said. "He's a really, really smart player. And competitive. I think that was the main thing I remember.

"I was just a 15-year-old kid, and he was trying to develop his game. He'd just been drafted by the Leafs (sixth round, No. 156 in the 2012 NHL Draft) and was just so competitive every single night. We weren't a very good team, so there were a lot of long bus rides, but the next few years were great."

Sherwood Bassin, a man McDavid has repeatedly said "is like a second father to me," was Erie's owner at the time, allowing him the opportunity to watch Brown's mentorship of the budding superstar.

"Those two guys, they're like sons to me," Bassin said on Monday. "And the reason 'Brownie' influenced [McDavid] is respect. There's a difference between demanding respect and earning respect, and Brownie earned it because of his focus to improve, no matter what it took."

In Brown's final season with Erie in 2013-14, he (45 goals, 83 assists) and McDavid (28 goals, 71 assists) combined for 227 points as linemates. The following season, McDavid succeeded Brown as the Otters captain.

"When Brownie and Connor were playing together, Brownie was just coming into his own," said Erie general manager Dave Brown, who in 2013-14 was the Otters' director of hockey operations. "He wanted to prove people wrong. His work ethic to that end was rare. Connor McDavid looked at that and fed off that. Brownie was also able to show McDavid his way through it, and in a humble way.

"I also think the two together were dynamic because their skating was so explosive. They were dangerous all over the ice. And [Brown] was a firecracker. And now they're back as teammates"

When Connor Brown signed with the Oilers, Dave Brown sent him a short text.

"Awesome," it said.

Bassin believes the duo can be exactly that again in Edmonton.

"If they play together, they'll be threats at both ends of the rink," he said.

Just like during their junior hockey days.