<p>The <a href="https://www.dailyfaceoff.com/teams/new-jersey-devils/news">New Jersey Devils</a> bolstered their forward depth on the first day of free agency by signing former <a href="https://www.dailyfaceoff.com/teams/edmonton-oilers/news">Edmonton Oiler</a> Connor Brown to a four-year, $12-million pact on Tuesday.</p>



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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="550" data-dnt="true"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Connor Brown has reportedly signed a four-year contract with the <a href="https://twitter.com/NJDevils?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@NJDevils</a>! <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/NHLFreeAgency?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#NHLFreeAgency</a> <a href="https://t.co/My8uHLkEZm">pic.twitter.com/My8uHLkEZm</a></p>— NHL Network (@NHLNetwork) <a href="https://twitter.com/NHLNetwork/status/1940091619480674577?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 1, 2025</a></blockquote><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
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<p>Brown is a two-way speedster who initially joined his old junior teammate Connor McDavid on the Oilers during the 2023 offseason after his lone campaign in Washington ended in a major knee surgery.</p>



<p>It took the now 31-year-old plenty of time to adjust to life in Edmonton (12 points in 71 GP was by far the lowest-scoring rate of&nbsp; his career), but after emerging as a key postseason cog on a line with Adam Henrique, Brown earned a second “prove-it” deal with the Oil.</p>



<p>This time, Brown didn’t need eight months to find his legs, clearing the 30-point plateau for the fifth time in his career and playing all 82 games as a key energy guy and penalty killer. After another strong postseason (9 P in 20 GP), Brown established himself as a low-maintenance, winning player who can hound opposing blue liners and chip in with the odd goal.</p><div class="injected-ad injected-video" data-nn-ad-tech-injection-count="0" data-nn-ad-tech-max-gap="130" data-nn-ad-tech-current-gap="191"></div>



<p>That profile had obvious appeal for the Devils, who struggled to find depth scoring last season: Stefan Noesen was parachuted into the top-six to cover for the aging Ondrej Palat’s offensive woes, Paul Cotter cooled off quickly after a fast start, and veterans Erik Haula and Tomas Tatar played themselves out of town.</p>



<p>Brown won’t be expected to carry water as a play driver in New Jersey, but he’s almost certainly an improvement on anyone else they expected to ice in the bottom-six and can slide up the lineup in a pinch. He still moves well (85th percentile in 20 mph+ bursts), and his defensive instincts should keep him effective over the term of the contract.</p>



<p>Devils’ GM Tom Fitzgerald got good value for Brown but will likely continue to explore depth forwards in the coming weeks to balance a top-heavy lineup.</p><div class="injected-ad" data-nn-ad-tech-injection-count="1" data-nn-ad-tech-max-gap="130" data-nn-ad-tech-current-gap="142"></div>
